Greece has discharged four military officials over presentation of a book written by a senior member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the War Museum of the Greek Defense Ministry in Athens.
Greek Defense Minister Panos Panayotopulos discharged the head of the War Museum and three other generals following the presentation of Murat Karayilan’s book on November 28.
The presentation of the book provoked Ankara’s protest.
The Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “Greece condemns all forms of terrorism unequivocally. This is also the position of the European Union as a whole, as a matter of principle and as concerns the PKK organization.”
The ministry stressed that the book was shown “without the knowledge of the authorities responsible.”
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu expressed dismay over the issue in a telephone conversation with his Greek counterpart Dimitris Avramopoulos, and said the action is undermining the “friendship” efforts between the two countries.
“It is also worrying in the sense of showing that some circles, who are uneasy about the development of Turkish-Greek friendship, are still active,” Davutoglu said.
The PKK has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s. The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead.
The group is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community, including Turkey, the United State and the European Union.
Presstv
