Turkey says stance on terror laws justified, no to reform
ISTANBUL – A Turkish official says recent lethal bomb attacks have reinforced the government’s determination to resist European Union demands to relax terrorism laws.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Wednesday “it is impossible for us to take any steps that would enfeeble Turkey in its fight against terrorism.”
“The incidents of yesterday and today have once again confirmed our just position,” he said hours after a suicide bombing killed four people in Mardin.
On Tuesday, a car bomb in Istanbul killed 11 people. Authorities suspect Kurdish militants in both attacks.
The EU wants Turkey to reform its anti-terrorism law among other conditions for its citizens to qualify for visa-free travel to the bloc.
It’s proven a divisive issue threatening to derail a broader EU-Turkey deal to tackle irregular migration.
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