UPDATE - Attack on Turkish nationals in Belgium demonstrates PKK terror threat to Western Europe: Türkiye

UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY TURKISH CHIEF PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Recent attacks on Turkish nationals in Belgium prove once again that the PKK terror group "is a threat to social peace and public order in Western Europe," Türkiye said on Tuesday.

Members of the PKK terrorist organization gathered in the city of Leuven on Sunday and attacked Turkish citizens living in the cities of Heusden-Zolder and Hauthalen, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that, "no lives were lost, but some of our citizens were injured."

"In response to the events, the Belgian authorities in Brussels and Ankara were immediately contacted," said the statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib the same night to discuss the matter, while Türkiye's diplomatic representatives in the European nation also met with their country's citizens in the cities where the incidents took place, it noted.

"Thanks to the common sense of our citizens living in Belgium, and the effective intervention of the Belgian security authorities, the incidents were prevented from escalating," the statement added.

It further added that local authorities are investigating the perpetrators.

- EU countries cannot 'hide behind the rhetoric of democracy'

The attacks in Belgium, along with separate assaults against Turkish nationals in France, were met with condemnation by Akif Cagatay Kilic, a chief advisor to Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks targeting Turkish citizens in Belgium and France. EU member countries no longer have the opportunity to hide behind the rhetoric of democracy," Kilic said on X.

Underlining that "turning a blind eye" to the PKK's terrorist activities in Europe was never acceptable, Kilic said that those "waving pictures of terrorist leaders and organization flags, attacking innocent civilians, and resorting to violence like organized crime syndicates" should not be freely roaming the streets.

He said Türkiye would track down supporters of the PKK "to the fullest extent within all official and judicial authorities in the countries" where they reside.

Kilic also emphasized the need for worldwide collective efforts to combat racism and terrorism.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union — has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

Türkiye has long decried tolerance for the terror group and its supporters in Europe.