‘Refugees Won’t be Naturalized, PKK Killed Olaf Palm’, Says Vice PM Kurtulmuş

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Vice Prime Minister and Government Spokesperson Numan Kurtulmuş has answered the questions of the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).

To the question whether refugees from Syria will be naturalized, Kurtulmuş said: "The issue that 3 million Syrian refugees will be conferred citizenship is a total lie".

Who said what as to the naturalization of refugees from Syria?

On January 6, 2017 President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had earlier stated that the Ministry of Interior took actions to confer some refugees from Iraq and Syria citizenship.

Erdoğan had made a similar statement on July 3, 2016.

Vice PM Veysi Kaynak on the other hand had said that the refugees from Syria would not be granted citizenship until the referendum on the Constitutional Amendment Draft on April 16.

İstanbul Governor Vasip Şahin said that the files of 2,000 people from Syria were referred to Ankara for examination.

Kurtulmuş: No naturalization of refugees from Syria

Kurtulmuş in his statement today said that there had been no action taken to confer citizenship to refugees from Syria and that the issue was made an election instrument.

"This is a statement made in order to disturb our citizens. Conferring citizenship to people from Syria is not in question", Kurtulmuş said.

Kurtulmuş: "PKK murdered Olaf Palme"

Making a comment on the murder of Sweden's 26th PM Olaf Palm on February 28, 1986, Kurtulmuş claimed that Palme had been killed by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"Our European friends should bear in mind, you cannot distinguish between good and evil terrorist organizations. This PKK terrorist organization also harms European politicians when you feed and spoil it. Hasn't it? It has. They should not forget the murder of Olaf Palme.

"PKK has murdered Palme, one of the most democratic and moderate politicians in Europe", Kurtulmuş claimed. (AS)