NSC stresses Turkey's unity under 'one flag and one state'

In a statement released after its final meeting of the year, the National Security Council (NSC) yesterday drew a line in the sand, making it clear that any attempt to change the unitary state structure of Turkey is unacceptable. Urging the avoidance of inflammatory approaches which could harm democracy, the development of individual rights and freedoms, social peace and fellowship, the statement said it is very important that everyone acts responsibly. Coming amid a debate over bilingualism and autonomy, a debate branded by Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan a conspiracy to sabotage Turkey's democratization process and peace and brotherhood initiative to solve the Kurdish issue, the MGK statement said, "It must be known that no attempt to change the understanding of 'one flag, one nation, one homeland and one state' or the fact that the official language of the Republic of Turkey is Turkish, which constitutes one of our core common denominators, is acceptable." The multi-pronged fight against terrorism and factors that foster it will be maintained without any concession in the coming year as well, it said. The statement added that developments in Iraq and ongoing negotiations on Cyprus were also discussed during the meeting.