Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey will not abandon the process of democratic settlement of the Kurdish problem, the country's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said.
He added that Turkish authorities have achieved serious success in this issue, Turkish Anadolu agency reported on Mar.19.
Earlier, some Turkish media outlets reported that allegedly, Turkish authorities intend to abandon the process of democratic settlement of the Kurdish problem.
Kurtulmus also expressed hope that the militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization will completely leave the country's territory by Mar.21.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
The UN and the European Union listed the PKK as a terrorist organization.
The process of democratic settlement to the Kurdish problem in Turkey kicked off in 2009, following which a part of the PKK militants left the country's territory and moved to the neighboring Iraq.
Edited by SI
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