Terrorists cannot divide Turkey, says PM

IGDIR, Turkey

Terrorists cannot break the bonds of brotherhood between different ethnic groups in Turkey, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday.

"No one, ever, will turn us into enemies," the premier told a gathering in eastern Turkey's Igdir province as part of a Yes campaign for Turkey’s upcoming referendum.

"All the colors of Turkey are here, in Igdir, right now," he said.

Igdir -- a province on Turkey's borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran -- is one of the country's most diverse regions.

According to Yildirim, the terrorist PKK could never be an authentic representative of Turkey’s Kurdish community.

About April’s constitutional referendum, Yildirim said it was not an election of parties but a turning point to end all kinds of terrorism that Turkey is enduring.

Turkey is currently fighting the PKK, the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and Daesh both at home and across its borders.

Since it resumed its armed campaign in July 2015, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,200 security personnel and civilians, including women and children.

Turkey holds FETO responsible for last July’s defeated coup that martyred at least 249 people and wounded around 2,200 others.

The government also says FETO ran a concerted campaign to infiltrate and undermine the Turkish state and society.

Terrorism

Turkey is also currently running Operation Euphrates Shield against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria.

At least 319 people have lost their lives in Daesh terror attacks in Turkey, where the terror organization has targeted civilians in suicide bomb, rocket and gun attacks.

Previously, Yildirim said the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party embraced all ethnicities in Turkey and called on everyone to be united in the Yes campaign.

In Wednesday's gathering, Yildirim also blamed Europe for running an "active campaign" for a No vote.

He also accused Europe of "hypocrisy" and "double standards".

It comes after German officials on Saturday allowed PKK followers to march in Frankfurt, in contrast to its recent blocking of Turkish ministers and politicians from addressing expat voters in the country.

Although Turkey, the EU, and the U.S. consider the PKK a terrorist group, for years it has been openly holding demonstrations across Europe -- mainly in Germany and France.

Reporting by Mehmet Tosun, Meltem Ozturk and Seval Guler; Writing by Esra Kaymak