Turkey urges EU not to be selective in terror approach

By Ata Ufuk Seker

BRUSSELS (AA) - A Turkish official said Friday that the EU should not be selective in its approach towards the terror groups.

Speaking in an event titled "How to overcome the credibility dilemma in Turkey-EU relations" in Brussels, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister and Director for EU Affairs Ambassador Faruk Kaymakci said EU and Turkey have to fight terrorism together.

"We should not be selective in our approach. Terrorism is not limited only to Daesh. In Turkey, terrorism has also PKK and FETO [Fetullah Terrorist Organization] dimensions," Kaymakci stressed.

Turkey and the EU should help each other and restore the confidence, he added.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants, in the last 30 years. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet in Ankara