PRESS RELEASE
Brussels
10 October 2019
Turkey has launched a military operation into northeast Syria in open conflict with international law.
Reacting to this aggression the European Green Party co-chairs Monica Frassoni and Reinhard Bütikofer said:
“We categorically condemn Turkey’s military incursion into northeast Syria. This is against international law and it is a sickening betrayal of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that played a major role in defeating Isis in Syria. Until now, this region has been largely spared bloodshed but that looks set to change.
“The EU has a duty to defend the rights of the Kurdish minority that has been relentlessly persecuted by the Turkish authorities under President Erdoğan. We will continue to support those both within and outside Turkey who attempt to put in place a democratic, gender-balanced and participative governance structure. Europe’s integrity is at stake if it does not take a strong and principled stance against this gratuitous use of force in its direct neighbourhood. It must use all diplomatic tools at its disposal to promote the cessation of military action, to effect a formal ceasefire and to prevent this crisis from spilling over into even more violence and instability in the broader region.”
END
Paul Nolan
E paul.nolan@europeangreens.eu
M +32 475 94 69 81
T +32 2 626 07 26
European Green Party
Rue Wiertz 31, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
www.europeangreens.eu
