UN body hears Turkey's multi-faceted anti-terror fight

Over the past five years, Turkey has conducted a simultaneous fight against multiple terrorist organizations operating in its territory and along its borders, the country's deputy foreign minister said at the UN in Geneva on Tuesday.

Faruk Kaymakci was speaking during a meeting of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group which is to be held until Jan. 31 to review 14 countries.

"It is not possible to paint a complete picture of the developments in Turkey since our last UPR without mentioning the unique and tremendous challenges we have encountered," said Kaymakcı.

"Turkey had to pursue a simultaneous fight against multiple terrorist organizations operating within its territory and along its borders, namely the PKK, PYD/YPG and Daesh [ISIS]," he added.

Kaymakci underlined that these groups violated the right to life of more than 1,590 Turkish citizens.

"Our fight against terrorism protects first and foremost the right to life and enjoyment of fundamental rights of our citizens and many others," he said.

He noted that Turkey was an active member of coalitions and efforts countering terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking and that its efforts also helped protect the borders of the EU and NATO.

While all this was happening, Turkey also faced the biggest influx of refugees in the world, he said.

"It is now home to around 4 million refugees. As opposed to certain countries where hostility against refugees, xenophobia, hate speech and Islamophobia were on the rise, Turkey has upheld its international obligations as well as the human rights and dignity of the people it is hosting," said Kaymakci.

Furthermore, he noted that on July 15, 2016, a year after the completion of its second UPR cycle, Turkey had faced a large-scale and "brutal coup attempt organized and perpetrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, also known as FETO."

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.