EC Meeting July 2022

In line with the shared interest of the EU and Turkey in regional peace and stability, the European Council has made clear in March and June 2021 that it expects Turkey and all actors to contribute positively to the resolution of regional crises. The EU encourages Iraq and Turkey to continue on the path of dialogue and friendly neighbourly relations, as demonstrated by regular high-level bilateral visits. In parallel, the EU encourages the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to make progress in the implementation of the Sinjar Agreement of 9 October 2020 which inter alia foresees the removal of the PKK and other destabilising groups from this area and the establishment of a new security force. This amounted to a tacit approval of Turkey’s war in Iraqi Kurdistan and its insistence that the PKK is a terrorist organisation implies that it is a legitimate target. That the main victims of Turkey’s war are not in fact PKK fighters, but Kurdish villagers and citizens is not mentioned. This underlines the need for the PKK to be delisted as a terrorist organisation. Its continued designation as such is used to justify attacks on Kurds as a whole. This issue has also been dealt with by Belgium’s Supreme Court which has found the PKK is a party in a non-international armed conflict or civil war where the use of legitimate military force is allowed. Britain Responding on behalf of the British government to a question raised by Lord Hylton in November 2021, Baroness Goldie, who represents Britain on the OPCW said that the United Kingdom takes the issue of chemical weapons very seriously. Use of any weapon must comply with international law, she wrote. But she said that “none of the allegations have been substantiated” and from the description given from Lord Hylton “it is also questionable whether in this case chemical weapons have been used” Baroness Goldie said the description of “powerful explosives” is not consistent with a chemical weapon which uses a smaller explosive charge. She said the smell of burnt sugar and the dissolution of human flesh was not consistent with a chemical attack.

Similar responses from individual MPs have stressed the important role of Turkey as a Nato ally and supported its fight against the PKK, while deploring the use of chemical weapons. All have said the allegations were unsubstantiated. Germany Gökay Akbulut of Die Linke raised the issue of Turkey’s alleged chemical attacks in the Bundestag in October 2021 asking: “What information the federal government has on this issue and from where the chemical weapons came from.” The evidence provided however was simply video footage of military grade flares, which was easily identifiable before the question was submitted. While this was circulating in the press I raised concerns with Kurdish officials as it was clear that it would be used to dismissed allegations of chemical attacks. She also cited reports of 548 villagers treated for a chemical attack in a village in Kani Masi, however only presented the reports found in media organisations close to the PKK and Kurdish movement. The German government predictably denied this was verifiable evidence of the use of chemical weapons. It has of course continued its support for Turkey both politically and militarily, with no signs of any drastic change under new Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Italy Also in October Italian lawmaker Erasmo Palazzotto raised the issue of Turkey’s use of chemical weapons in a parliamentary question. He said chemical weapons were widely used in Metina, Zap, and Avaşin in the invasion attacks that have been ongoing in Southern Kurdistan since April 23, 2021 and added that this now “emphasises the danger of an unsustainable scenario” in Kurdistan. “The Turkish government is responsible for the systematic breach of international treaties,” he said and asked what measures the European institutions would be taking. Palazzotto said and asked what kind of steps the European institutions plan to take in this regard. His question was also dismissed by the Italian government.

28

29