PKK

Two PKK/YPG members have been caught while trying to illegally cross into Türkiye from Syria, the Defense Ministry has announced.

In a post on its social media account, the ministry informed that the apprehended were members of the PKK/KCK and its Syrian offshoot, PYD/YPG.

"Our struggle for the security of our borders continues with determination," it added.

Athens has decided to proceed with the gradual closure of the Lavrio refugee camp, which has long been accused by Ankara of being a hideout for terrorists under the guise of being asylum-seekers, due to "the unsuitability of the site to continue hosting refugees."

Members of Pro-Kurdish party Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) shout slogans against government in Istanbul, Turkey, 25 September 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/SEDAT SUNA

"Our party will not give a verbal self-defence on April 11 against the attitude of the Constitutional Court, which means interference in free and fair elections," the HDP said in a statement.

Türkiye has closed its airspace for the aircraft, which land/take-off at Iraq's Sulaymaniyah International Airport, as of April 3 upon the intensification of PKK activities in the region, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said.

Türkiye's parliament on March 30 ratified Finland's application to join NATO, lifting the last hurdle in the way of the Nordic country's long-delayed accession into the Western military alliance.

All 276 lawmakers present voted in favor of Finland's bid, days after Hungary's parliament also endorsed Helsinki's accession.

The PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, who have occupied the oil and natural gas fields in Syria, are trying to generate income by oil drilling and selling it to the black market through the companies they established, local media has reported.

Greece's "provocative" actions, rhetoric and efforts for armament will not provide any benefit beyond increasing the tension in the region, a National Security Council (MGK) statement said on Jan. 25.

Türkiye will not allow any sort of fait accompli that targets its national security and interests, the council said following a meeting at the helm of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The Foreign Ministry on Jan. 12 summoned Sweden's ambassador in Ankara to lodge a protest over a demonstration in Stockholm where the supporters of the PKK hung a puppet that depicted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from its legs.

The ministry expressed Ankara's frustration about the terrorist propaganda, which targeted Erdoğan and Türkiye, diplomatic sources said.

A PKK member who helped Bilal Hassan escape abroad, one of the suspects of the terror attack on Istanbul's İstiklal Avenue last November, which claimed the lives of six people and wounded several dozen, has been caught in Bulgaria.

A member of the terrorist organization PKK surrendered to the Turkish security forces, the Interior Ministry has announced.

A PKK member who escaped from the terrorist organization surrendered to the security forces as a result of persuasion efforts carried out by police and gendarmerie.