Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that he is ready to resign if it is proven that the government treats the Kurdish population of the country as second-class citizens, the Turkish newspaper Sabah reports Oct. 21.
He issued a statement after opposition parties in the country accused the government of treating the Kurds as second-class citizens, following Turkey's refusal to use military force to protect the Syrian city of Kobani, populated by Kurds, from the Islamic state (IS) militants.
Davutoglu said all Turkish citizens have equal rights.
"The superiority of one nation over another in Turkey is out of the question," he said.
In late September 2014, Syrian Kurds-populated town of Kobani fell under control of the IS. Following the unrests there, reportedly over 100,000 refugees from Kobani fled to Turkey.
The move triggered mass protests among the Kurds in six provinces of Turkey.
Turkish PM Davutoglu said the country would do anything possible to protect Kobani, adding that the Turkish army has the right to participate in military operations in other states, in accordance with the latest amendments made to the country's legislation.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Oct. 20 that Ankara allowed Kurdish paramilitary groups to move from Iraq to Kobani through the Turkish territory.
The terrorist organization known as the 'Islamic State' (IS, formerly ISIL or ISIS) was created in 2003 in Iraq. Between 2004 and 2006, the organization was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and consisted of 11 radical Islamist groups, which had close ties to the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.
Following the start of military confrontation in Syria in 2013 between the armed opposition and the government forces, the IS penetrated the country. The organization said at the time it refuses to take the oath of Al-Qaeda and declared 'a holy war' against all groups in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Syrian government forces.
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