MESOP FROM BRUSSELS : EU calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Turkey’s Kurdish region: Mogherini

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini 2016 davos. Photo: Courtesy/European External Action Service

ANKARA,— 25 Jan 2016 – EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini on Monday called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Turkey’s Kurdish region (Turkish Kurdistan) where the Turkish army is waging a relentless campaign against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.“We call for an immediate ceasefire in the southeast and strongly condemn all kinds of terrorism,” Mogherini told a joint press conference with Turkish ministers in Ankara.“

We are ready to contribute with regards to the Kurdish peace process. We have an imminent interest on that because it can affect the security in the region, and in the broader sense, the EU,” added European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

After a more than two-year ceasefire, fighting resumed last summer between Turkish security forces and the PKK, dashing hopes of ending a conflict .Turkey is waging an all-out offensive against the young wing of the PKK, with military operations backed by curfews aimed at flushing out rebels from several southeastern Kurdish urban centres.But Kurdish activists say hundreds of civilians have died as a result of excessive force and the operations have become the subject of huge controversy in Turkish society.Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir vowed no let-up in the campaign against the PKK, which has since staged a string of attacks against security forces.“As a sovereign state, Turkey will continue its struggle against all terrorist organisations, including the PKK, which are threatening its national security,” he said. “In doing so, we try to protect the rights of our citizens.”