European Parliament “emphatically and unreservedly” condemns Turkish Aggression on Syrian Territories

 BRUSSELS, (ST)- President of the  European Parliament David Sassoli has condemned the Turkish aggression on the Syrian territories, stressing that it poses a threat to the region’s stability and security.

“We emphatically and unreservedly condemn Turkey’s military action in north-eastern Syria. This constitutes a grave violation of international law, undermines the stability and security of the region as a whole, bringing further suffering to people already affected by war, as well as obstructing access to humanitarian assistance,” Sassoli said, according to a press release by the European Parliament.

 “For days, people throughout Europe have been following with dismay and anger events in our neighborhood,” Sassoli added, welcoming  the European decision to coordinate national embargoes on future sales of arms to Turkey, but regard this as just a first step.

“It is our duty to send an unambiguous message by promoting a joint EU embargo not just on future arms shipments, but also on those already on their way,” he stressed.

The European official went on to say that “the EU’s decision to impose sanctions on Turkey for an unacceptable action such as offshore drilling in waters near Cyprus is positive, but it is difficult to understand why the military aggression in north-eastern Syria did not prompt a similar response.”

“We must do everything in our power to stop this act of aggression and launch an initiative that can be thrashed out within NATO and submitted to the UN Security Council. The European Union would show itself to be speaking with one voice when working for peace in multilateral forums,” he asserted.

“Against this background, the European Parliament reiterates its call for the accession negotiations with Turkey to be suspended,” he also said, adding “we consider it unacceptable and firmly reject any attempt by the Turkish authorities to establish a link between its military action in north-eastern Syria and the fate of Syrian refugees on Turkish territory.”

Edited by: Hamda Mustafa