Turkey in 'no direct contact' with PKK to bring back two intelligence officers, FM Çavuşoğlu says 

ISTANBUL

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said in an interview with the Al-Monitor news website that Turkey has “no direct contacts” to bring back two members of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) held by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. 

“The PKK has kidnapped local authorities, ordinary civilians, doctors, policemen and everybody, and so this is a terrorist organization. Of course our institutions have been working to bring back all our citizens that the PKK kidnapped, but our country doesn’t — we didn’t have any direct contact with the PKK to bring those two persons mentioned back,” Çavuşoğlu said, asked about reports that Turkish officials may travel to Arbil for talks after the PKK kidnapped two senior Turkish intelligence officers. 

“This is the dirty face of the terrorist organization. They have been killing many civilians and Kurds. They have kidnapped almost one person from each family in the region. Now our Kurdish citizens are very happy with the ongoing operations against the PKK. Now they enjoy their freedom,” he added.

“Now they can enjoy everything because the PKK has been targeting hospitals, ambulances, doctors, airports, schools and all the infrastructure that we built for our Kurdish citizens. This is a terrorist organization. What else do you expect?” Çavuşoğlu also said. 

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Musa Çam had submitted a parliamentary question to Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım last week regarding the kidnapping allegations. 

“Is it true that two senior officials of the MİT have been kidnapped by the terror organization PKK in the city of Suleymaniye [in the Kurdistan Regional Government of northern Iraq]?”

Previous reports had stated that two Turkish intelligence officers were captured during an anti-PKK operation in the KRG in August.