Qatar rejects Arab League's criticism of Turkey's airstrikes on PKK
15:39, 05/08/2015, WednesdayU: Update: 16:13, 05/08/2015, Wednesday
Yeni Şafak
Doha backs Turkey's airstrikes on the outlawed PKK targets in Iraq, by saying Turkey has the right to defend its borders from outer threats
Qatar's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday rejected an Arab League statement condemning Turkey's military action against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Qatar's reservation over Arab League Secretary-General Dr. Nabeel Al Arabi's statement condemning Turkey for bombing in northern Iraq," said the ministry statement published by the Qatar state news agency.
It said that the Arab League's statement was not discussed with the members of the regional bloc before its release.
“Qatar stresses its full solidarity with the Republic of Turkey for its actions and measures to protect its borders and preserve its security and stability," Qatar's Foreign Ministry said.
The Qatari statement said that Turkey had the right to defend itself and to eliminate the source of threats, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
Turkey had launched wide military operations against terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, in Syria and the PKK in Iraq, after it faced several terror attacks which claimed dozens of lives, including 32 people who were killed in an attack on July 20 in the southern border city of Suruç.
Qatar said the recent attacks on the Turkish border town of Suruç and other areas inside the country confirmed Turkey is threatened by terrorist groups, and added that Turkey needed to take immediate action to eliminate these threats.
The Arab League's statement against Turkey is a denial of the country's right to protect itself, the Gulf country said.
Al-Arabi, in a statement on Tuesday, requested Turkey to “respect the sovereignty of Iraq over all its territories" and to “remain committed to the principles of good neighborliness and to the agreement signed between Turkey and Iraq."
Turkey said it would continue its operations against the terror groups, which killed about 260 PKK terrorists and caused significant damage to its infrastructure, as long as the threats exist.