On Saturday 17 December, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said during a telephone call with Turkey's Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu that the EU "strongly condemns all acts of terrorism".
A suicide attack on 17 December targeting a bus transporting military to Kayseri claimed at least 14 lives and left 56 wounded, six of them seriously. The attack was claimed by the TAK (the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks), a radical Kurdish group linked to the PKK. "The PKK, including its affiliate TAK, is listed as a terrorist organisation in the EU, with action being taken against them by the EU institutions and the member states", a press release from the European External Action Service (EEAS) stated, which was published after the call. "The EU confirms [its] continued commitment to working with the government of Turkey in combatting the threat of terrorism. It is essential that all institutions and all political forces stand together in unity, and that full respect of the rule of law is guaranteed", the press release added.