27 January 2016•Update: 27 January 2016
ISTANBUL
Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
Dailies on Wednesday dedicated their front pages to Turkey’s stance on the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) possible participation in the upcoming Syria talks in Geneva as well as to life in the eastern Sirnak province following anti-terror operations, which ended last week.
VATAN ran with the headline “Boycott of Geneva”, referring to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s remarks.
Cavusoglu, speaking to Turkey’s private news channel NTV late Tuesday, said: “If PYD is invited, we will boycott Geneva talks. It is loud and clear.”
Turkey refuses any participation of the PYD on the opposition side, arguing that it is affiliated to the PKK, which is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.
PYD leader Saleh Muslim said Tuesday that they have not been invited yet to attend the talks, said VATAN citing Reuters.
Quoting Cavusoglu, MILLIYET’s front-page headline read: “We will boycott”.
Similarly, HABERTURK used the headline: “If there is PYD, boycott”.
Certain newspapers chose to cover life in the southeastern Turkish district of Silopi in Sirnak province following anti-terror operations.
VATAN’s front page read “Returning to life”, running a photo showing a soldier patting a boy on the head on a Sirnak street.
The daily said that “residents have returned to daily life in Silopi after it has been cleared of terrorists”.
Public order has reportedly been restored in Silopi following weeks-long curfew and counter-terrorism operations carried out against the terrorist PKK group.
A total of 136 PKK terrorists have been killed in Silopi since counter-terror operations began in Dec. 15, the Turkish military said.
According to Sirnak Governor Ali Ihsan Su, a total of 518 barriers and 270 ditches were removed and 800 makeshift explosives defused in the town.
Running the same photo as VATAN, MILLIYET reported that patrolling soldiers have been delivering fruit and chocolate to children in the district.
CUMHURIYET also ran a photo showing children walking on the street of Silopi, saying, “Yesterday in Silopi”.
In other news, HURRIYET ran with the headline “Statues covered up for Rouhani”, running a photo of covered statues in Italy.
It reported that certain nudes, including Capitoline Venus at the Capitoline Museum in Rome, were covered by white panels during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to the country.
The move came after Iran inked 17 billion euros ($18.5 billion) of business deals with Rome since sanctions on Tehran were lifted, the daily added.
HABERTURK's headline read “‘Rouhani’ censorship to nude statues".
The newspaper said that the statues were covered in order not to disturb Rouhani during his visit.
