Europe is liable to be “flooded” with terrorism, Turkish President Recep Erdogan warned, calling upon the EU to take a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism.
Speaking at the closing session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey was on the frontline of a war on terrorism that could easily submerge Europe.
"Turkey is really like a barrier between terror groups and the rest of the world, notably Europe,” he said. “If we are unsuccessful in this fight, that is if this barrier is destroyed, the terrorists will spread fire and blood across the whole world just like a flood. Let's strengthen this barrier instead of weakening it."
The Turkish President also chastised European Union states for permitting members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to operate across the continent, and even allowing them to appear in the EU Parliament.
"As a country that suffers from terrorism, we cannot tolerate the fact that PKK members freely travel in the European countries and walk through the corridors of the European Parliament carrying posters of PKK leader (Abdullah Ocalan). Therefore, our friends need to take the necessary measures to prevent this. If they don't take these necessary measures, one day this (terror) will hit them like a boomerang. Let me say that."
While Turkey has long protested what it calls the soft handling of the PKK, a group it has designated as a terrorist organization, Turkey has given refuge to the Hamas terror group and served as the Gaza terror regime’s strongest patron.
Despite a reconciliation deal signed by Israel and Turkey to formally reestablish ties between the two regional powers, Turkey has maintained its links with the Hamas regime and remains a sanctuary for terrorists in exile.