Turkish PM’s advisor urges Europe to solve FTF crisis

Dr. Cemalettin Hasimi speaks to Bahraini journalist delegation in Ankara

Ankara / Manama

 Solution to the problem of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) will come from Europe, and not Turkey, stated the Director General Directorate General of Press and Information and Senior Advisor to the Prime Minster of Turkey Dr. Cemalettin Hasimi, while speaking to Bahraini journalist delegation in Ankara.

 He said the problem could be tackled only if the source countries monitor the suspects and prevent them from travelling abroad. Simply putting blame on Turkey is not going to help anyone, he said.

 According to him, a propaganda war has been waged against Turkey, which has now made things complicated at an international level. “The failure to snub the suspected terrorists at home, the reluctance of European governments to take strict measures against radicalization as well as Islamophobia problems remain the main reasons behind the recruitment of European FTFs,” he said.

 He stated it’s far easier for source countries to intercept potential FTFs before they leave their own country than expecting Turkish authorities to catch them

 “Turkey is the sixth most popular tourist destination and every year around 40 million tourists travel arrive here. It is practically impossible to keep a check on every one of them. However, with effective intelligence sharing, the influx of suspects could be stopped,” Hasimi said.

 As of July this year, about 1,300 Turkish citizens joined, returned or died fighting among Daesh ranks. But it may be noted that Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country sharing a 1,300-kilometer border with Syria and Iraq, is not among the top 10 source countries of Daesh recruits.

 He said, after the suicide bombing by Daesh in Suruç, which killed 32 Turkish citizens, and the execution of two police officers at their apartment by PKK terrorists, operations against such terrorist organizations have become inevitable.

 A high official from the foreign office of Turkey told DT News that instability in Syria was badly affecting their country and that they are not receiving desirable responses from the international community.

 He pointed out it took almost eight months to reach an agreement with the US to share their airbases against Daesh and he was confident the policy would be a game changer.