ERBIL — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has "partial control and influence" over the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Speaking at a press conference in the capital Ankara on Tuesday, Cavusoglu also claimed that the PKK is now planning to bring Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, under its control.

The PUK is the dominant political party in Sulaymaniyah, whereas the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has more influence in Erbil.

The Turkish foreign minister also stated that thousands of villages in the Kurdistan Region have been taken over by the PKK, and now it eyes Erbil.

"The PKK is well aware that its separatist efforts will not work in Turkey so now it is kidnapping Yezidi and Arab children in Sinjar and recruiting them to fight in Syria and the mountains," he added.

Turkey and PKK have been in armed conflicts for more than three decades. Ankara views the Kurdish party as a “terrorist organization” which allows it to carry out military operations with the justification of defending its own national security.

BasNews