German politician brands PKK 'terrorist organisation'

In a TV talk show, German politician Sigmar Hartmut Gabriel said Germany considers the PKK a terrorist organisation not because of its crimes in Turkey, but because of its illegal activities in Germany. 

"We know the PKK is engaged in illegal activities, including money-laundering through blackmail and selling drugs and weapons to finance its war in Turkey," Gabriel said.

The video tweet is shared by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with a post saying "there are also those who present the facts with courage and without any hesitation".

Speaking about the Syrian crisis, Sigmar Hartmut Gabriel said that at the beginning of the Syrian war, Turkey's then-prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, emphasised the importance of creating a no-fly zone in Syria, failing which the Assad regime would have "bombed his people", but Europe and Germany were the first to reject his call.