Turkey applauded a decision by U.S. authorities to freeze the assets of five members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement today.
The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Cemil Bayrak, Duran Kalkan, Remzi Kartal, Sabri Ok and Adem Uzun “specially designated narcotics traffickers,” leading to a freeze of their assets in the U.S. and making it illegal for Americans to engage in business with them, the statement said.
The five men are members of the leadership team of the PKK, the Foreign Ministry said. The PKK is a Kurdish separatist organization that has been fighting the Turkish state since 1984 and is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and European Union.
Turkey expects other countries to follow suit and “carry through on their obligations” with regard to the fight against terrorism, the statement said. The men are still allowed residence and free travel in other countries, it said, without naming the countries.
To contact the reporter on this story: Benjamin Harvey in Ankara at bharvey11@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net
via Turkey Applauds U.S. Naming PKK Leaders on Drug Traffickers List – Bloomberg.