Following the debates regarding the executions of three Kurdish women in Paris triggered by the comments of a former high ranking security official in Turkey’s top military intelligence unit, İsmail Hakkı Pekin, in a live broadcast on a Turkish national TV channel discussion, Medya Haber TV later reached Pekin for further comments.
Answering the questions of Ahmet Hakan on a live broadcast, Pekin, who served in top positions in the Turkish Armed Forces and was also the Head of the General Staff Intelligence Department, shared some views which have been hotly evaluated as a “confession-like statement” suggesting that the three female Kurdish politicians and actvists, Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez might have been assassinated in 2013 by Turkish intelligence in Paris.
Regarding the statements he had orginially said on the TV talkshow of the “necessary operations to target the think tank” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Pekin he had said, “There are elements of these in Europe. We need to do something to those elements in Europe. It was previously done in Paris, yet…”
Pekin directly answered the questions of Medya Haber TV on a phone conversation on 19 February regarding his much-debated comments.
‘What I meant by ‘what was done in Paris’ is that of the issue of the elimination of Sakine Cansız
In response the the question of what he meant by when he referred to “what was previously done in Paris”, Pekin said, “What I meant there was that there are chiefs of them in Europe. They organise the works related to money, recruiting new people, organizing events and joining to the meetings of the European Union etc. They have organisation activities there. Something has to be done to those who organise these, if the Europeans do not intervene with them.”
When Pekin were asked to expand more on what he actually meant, he answered, “What I mean by what was done in Paris is that of the issue of the elimination of Sakine Cansız. I don’t know the one or the ones who did it, but I think with similar operations such people can be eliminated.”
‘If you stain Turkey, Turkey has to give the necessary response’
Commenting on whether Turkey should apply such methods in Europe, the former Intelligence officer said, “Yes, it should. It should, because otherwise we can not convince our friends in the West and in the US. As long as they support the terror, this terror will continue. It will continue whether within Turkey or outside Turkey. That is why Turkey has to urge its friends in the West.
Otherwise what is done will be done to Turkey. We have to make our friends in the West give up their support to the PKK. The way to do that is either the military struggle or assasinations or another way… The law doesn’t work well. They commit crimes, but they set them free in the West. Even though they know these, they invite them to the meetings of the Council of Europe. Then how will Turkey struggle?”
Pekin continued his statements as follows: “There is a PKK, Europe and US backing it… They keep troubling Turkey. This is the last resort that Turkey can take. If you want to stain Turkey and actually stain Turkey… If you make Turkey spend milliars of dollars and if you provide an opportunity for the murder of the people of Turkey… Then Turkey has to give the necessary response to the European countries.”
‘If the Turkish intelligence did it, they did a good job’
Finally, commenting on the murder of three women in Paris, Pekin said, “I hope Turkey did it. I hope it was the Turkish Intelligence or the special units did it, but I don’t know how much there was involvement of French intelligence, because French intelligence also follows this issue, but if the Turkish intelligence did it, they did a good job.
