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July 9, 2007
News
Turkey Protests to Greece over Kurdistan Map
Today Zaman
ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's Foreign Ministry has protested to Greece over a map that showed Turkey's southeastern region as part of the 'Free Kurdistan' state, the Turkish daily Zaman reported.
The map was displayed late Friday in Athens during a conference organized by the Greek army's General Staff. The Greek ambassador to Ankara George Yennimatas was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where Turkish diplomats expressed their concerns over the incident.
Turkey's southeastern region is dominated by a Kurdish population. It is also bordering the autonomous Iraqi district of Kurdistan, where many members of the PKK believed are taking refuge. PKK took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey..
According to Turkish daily News Colonel Şirin immediately protested to professor Mazis and the organizers of the seminar and left the hall, daily Hürriyet reported yesterday.
Yorgo Yenimatas, Greece's Ambassador to Ankara was summoned to the Foreign Ministry Saturday and a protest was made by Haydar Berk, undersecretary of the ministry over the incident. Berk asked Yenimatas that such incidents not be repeated in the future and reminded him of Turkey's eagerness to continue good relations with Greece.
Last weekend Turkey's Foreign Minister 'Abdullah Gul told reporters the government and the army had already finalized their plan to attack the PKK strongholds in Iraq.
Kurds are not recognized as an official minority in Turkey and are denied rights granted to other minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and education in the Kurdish language, but critics say the measures do not go far enough.
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