Turkey FM slams EU chief over terrorism remarksNovember 14, 2016 - 11:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has accused the head of the European Parliament of defending the terrorist group PKK after the latter criticized the detention of journalists and opposition lawmakers on terror charges, Anadolu Agency reports. “They are defending the PKK very well. Was there any statement from Schulz and those who think like him after our governor was martyred?” Cavusoglu told reporters when asked about the European Parliament’s President Martin Schulz’s earlier remarks on arrests targeting journalists and lawmakers. The Turkish minister was referring to Muhammet Fatih Safiturk, the governor of Mardin's Derik district, who succumbed Friday, November 11 to wounds sustained in a PKK terrorist attack. “Schulz’s threatening statements have no effect on us,” Cavusoglu told reporters in the Turkish capital Ankara following a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. “First, [he] should stop the activities of the PKK in the European Parliament,” Cavusoglu said. “If he is strong enough, he should be using this discourse against those supporting terror in the EU member countries,” he added. The Turkish minister said that Schulz would do whatever was necessary to impose economic sanctions against Turkey. Earlier this month, Martin Schulz, the European Parliament’s president, reacted to the arrest of 11 journalists from the Cumhuriyet daily in Istanbul and Ankara as well as the arrest of lawmakers from Turkey's opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on terror charges. Media reports said he had indicated that the EU could impose sanctions on Turkey following the anti-terror operations. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |