From Çavuşoğlu to Trump: This Nation Says ‘We Would Rather Go Hungry Than Obey’

* Photograph: Cem Özdel - Ankara / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Europe of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn held a joint press conference after their meeting at the Foreign Affairs Official Residence in the capital city of Ankara today (January 14).

In his speech at the conference, Çavuşoğlu also commented on the tweets of US President Donald Trump, who said earlier today, "We will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds."

CLICK - 'We Will Devastate Turkey Economically If They Hit Kurds'

Emphasizing that "strategic partners do not speak via social media," Çavuşoğlu made the following remarks regarding the issue:

"Why don't you say that you are against the YPG?"

"You say that you want the independence of Syria. But, this terrorist organization (YPG - People's Protection Units) has occupied almost one third of Syria's territory.

"Why don't you say anything about it? You say that you are against DAESH (ISIS); but, why don't you say that you are against YPG?

"We are not the enemies of Kurds"

"What bothers us? There is a terrorist organization that wants to separate Syria. We are targeting this terrorist organization.

"We are not the enemies of the Kurds. We have been the country which defends the Kurds the most. We will always continue to defend the rights of our Kurdish brothers and sisters.

"There is pressure on Trump"

"We know the difficulty, which Trump has found himself in. There has been pressure on him. The departments of security have been exerting pressure to prevent US withdrawal from Syria.

"We know that his last tweet is a matter of internal affairs. Allies do not negotiate via Twitter, via social media.

"We would rather go hungry than obey"

"When it comes to his threatening language, we have said it over and over again that we will not fear or submit to any threats, we also said it in the past. They cannot achieve anything by threatening Turkey economically.

"On the one side, there are economic hardships; on the other side, there is the threat of terrorism. This nation would say, 'We would rather go hungry than obey, as they did in the War of Independence.'

"We disapprove of the remarks and language that he uses under pressure."

"Safe zone is our idea"

Addressing the statement of President Trump regarding a safe zone to be established in Syria, Çavuşoğlu said,

"No proposals have been offered by the US to Turkey; but, it is not the idea of the US any way. This is the proposal of our President (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) to all Europeans, including the Russians." (EKN/SD)