The European Union (EU) condemned on Monday the attacks by the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkish territory over the last weekend, and urged the international community to support Turkey's efforts to fight terrorism.
"The international community, in particular all the main stakeholders in the region, must support Turkey's efforts to protect its population and fight terrorism, while respecting the rule of law, preserving the international and regional peace and stability and refraining from taking any disproportionate military action," said a statement issued by the EU's Portuguese presidency.
"Any endeavor in disregard of these values would be a success for the PKK's strategy of provocation and violence," said the statement.
The statement also called for the strengthening of dialogue and cooperation between the governments of Turkey and Iraq to address the problem of the PKK.
Meanwhile, it urged the Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government to ensure the respect for the Turkish border and guarantee the Iraqi territory is not used for any violent actions against Turkey.
PKK militants launched an attack against a Turkish military unit in Daglica region in the country's southeastern province of Hakkari on Sunday morning.
The attack killed 12 Turkish soldiers and wounded 16 others, prompting Turkey to launch a retaliation offensive, which has killed 34 PKK militants so far, according to the Turkish military.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, launched an armed campaign for an ethnic home land in the mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking decades of strife that has claimed more than 30,000 lives so far.
Source: Xinhua
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