Turkey summons French envoy over 'anti-Turkey propaganda'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Dec 2022 19:26

A Turkish diplomatic source says the French envoy to Ankara was summoned for failing to stop the "propaganda" promoted by the PKK.

Turkey summons French envoy over "anti-Turkey propaganda"

Turkey summoned on Monday France's Ambassador over what it called "anti-Turkey propaganda" that it said French officials did little to stop following the killing of three Kurds in Paris.

Friday's shooting was followed by days of protests by Kurdish groups and their supporters in the French capital. Some of the protesters waved flags of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. Others held banners with slogans accusing Turkey of being connected to the shooting.

The protests broke out after William Wallet, a 69-year-old white French man, opened fire at a Kurdish cultural center in Paris. The suspect has confessed to a "pathological" hatred for foreigners.

The French authorities decided on Saturday to release the suspect and transfer him to a psychiatric center sold to the police and argued it was for "health reasons".

A Turkish diplomatic source indicated that the French Ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry for failing to stop the "propaganda" promoted by the PKK.

"We expressed our dissatisfaction with the black propaganda launched by PKK circles against our country and with the fact that the French government and some politicians are used as a tool in this propaganda," the source said.

The source also considered that the PKK's allegations were used "by French government officials and some politicians" against Ankara.

"We expect France to act prudently in the face of the aforementioned incident," the Turkish diplomatic source concluded.

It is noteworthy that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's chief advisor, Ibrahim Kalin, held Sunday the PKK responsible for the clashes that took place in the French capital.

"This is the PKK in France (...) the same terrorist organization you support in Syria," Kalin said in a tweet.