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Several allied NATO member states from Europe have urged against Turkey’s advance in northeastern Syria.
So far, the Netherlands, Norway and Finland blocking arms exports to Turkey, and France and Germany joining in the prohibition on October 12th.
Vor dem Hintergrund der türkischen Militäroffensive in Nordost-Syrien wird die Bundesregierung keine neuen Genehmigungen für alle Rüstungsgüter, die durch die Türkei in Syrien eingesetzt werden könnten, erteilen.
Das habe ich in der @BILDamSONNTAG deutlich gemacht.— Heiko Maas ?? (@HeikoMaas) October 12, 2019
“Against the backdrop of the Turkish military offensive … the Federal Government will not issue any new permits for all military equipment that could be used by Turkey in Syria,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated.
On the same day, Florence Parly, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, issued a similar statement.
“Pending the cessation of the Turkish offensive in North-East Syria, France has decided to suspend any plans to export to Turkey war materials that could be used in the context of this offensive. This decision is of immediate effect,” she wrote.
Dans l’attente de la cessation de l'offensive turque dans le Nord-est syrien, la France a décidé de suspendre tout projet d'exportation vers la Turquie de matériels de guerre susceptibles d'être employés dans le cadre de cette offensive. Cette décision est d’effet immédiat.
— Florence Parly (@florence_parly) October 12, 2019
France and Germany were the third and fourth-largest arms exporters in the world between 2014 and 2018, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The Netherlands, Norway and Finland were in 10th, 14th and 24th position respectively.
These decisions came after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Ankara in attempts to negotiate a solution of some sort.
He underlined that “while Turkey has legitimate security concerns, I expect Turkey to act with restraint.”
Stoltenberg expressed his “serious concerns about the risk of further destabilising the region, escalating tensions, and even more human suffering”.
He emphasized that “We have a common enemy – Da’esh [ISIS]. A few years ago, they controlled significant territory in Iraq and in Syria. Working together in the Global Coalition, we have liberated all this territory and millions of people. These gains must not be jeopardized.”
“Turkey is a great power in this great region”, the Secretary General stressed, “and with great power comes great responsibility”.
Stoltenberg urged Turkey to avoid any unilateral actions that may further destabilize the region and escalate tensions.
Spain and Italy haven’t issued bans on arms exports to Turkey, but on October 13th, talian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that he would press for an EU-wide ban for arms sales to Turkey over the advance against the Kurdish militias in northeastern Syria.
A government statement said that Rome had been working since October 12th for a moratorium on arms exports to Turkey “as soon as possible.”
“Italy will promote this initiative in all multilateral forums and will work to combat Turkish military action in the northeast of Syria with every instrument permitted by international law,” said the statement from Conte’s office.
“The Italian government is convinced that we must act with the utmost determination to avoid further suffering of the Syrian people, especially Kurds, and to counteract destabilizing actions in the region,” the statement added.
Separately, the Arab League called the Turkish operation an “invasion.”
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the Arab league, called Turkey’s military operation an “invasion of an Arab state’s land and an aggression on its sovereignty”.
Gheit said the offensive had resulted in a new wave of displacement and jeopardises “achievements” made in fighting ISIL.
The Arab League called for the United Nations Security Council to take measures to force Turkey to halt its military offensive and “immediately” withdraw its forces from Syria.
Meanwhile, Turkey has rejected all possibility of stopping its advance.
On October 13th, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that threats of sanctions and arms embargoes by Western powers would not stop the military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria.
A day earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed an offer by US President Donald Trump to mediate between Ankara and Kurdish YPG forces to halt Turkey’s incursion in Syria.
“We don’t mediate, negotiate with terrorists. The only thing to be done is for these terrorists to lay down arms,” Cavusoglu said. “We tried the political solution in Turkey in the past and we saw what happened.”
Russia has remained somewhat silent regarding the operation.
Without mentioning the Turkish army, or any other forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that military forces “present illegally” inside Syrian territory should leave the country.
He said that when Syria recovers this would also apply to the Russian Armed Forces.
“If a future legitimate Syrian government says that they won’t need the presence of the Russian army anymore, it will apply for the Russian Federation as well,” he added.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif offered Tehran’s help in mediating for a solution to the situation.
Zarif referred to a 21-year-old security accord that required Damascus to stop harbouring Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels.
Turkey maintains that the pact had never been implemented.
“The Adana Agreement between Turkey and Syria – still valid – can be the better path to achieve security,” Zarif said in a post on Twitter. “Iran can help bring together the Syrian Kurds, the Syrian Govt and Turkey so that the Syrian Army together with Turkey can guard the border,” he added.
The Adana Agreement between Turkey and Syria—still valid—can be the better path to achieve security. #Iran can help bring together the Syrian Kurds, the Syrian Govt, and Turkey so that the Syrian Army together with Turkey can guard the border.
From my interview with @trtworld: pic.twitter.com/q05OFnlpaN
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) October 12, 2019
It should be quite obvious that Russia and Iran’s moderate response to Turkey’s advance, and the harsh, threatening rhetoric of Turkey’s NATO allies means that in that Ankara would likely turn to Russia for even more arms purchases in the future. This would further improve the warming relations between Turkey and Russia, in the face of antagonism by the US, EU and others.
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Only limit ?;!! Come onnnnn kick them out of Nato they dont belong there only use Nato weapons against innocents.
NATO weapons have killed 2 million people in the region in the past 2 decades, just a REALITY CHECK.
Hmmm guess your right .
When NATO weapons were used against anything but the innocents?
I specifically refered to turkish nato, because other European nato armies are only against russia not people.
And I am referring to the whole of NATO. Who bombed Yugoslavia? Involved in Bosnia? Kosovo? Serbia? Afghanistan? Air campaign and no fly zone in Libya? How many innocents lost their lives?
And then sometimes oh-so-noble European NATO countries work individually but in cooperation with each other and the US, all NATO but in name, to wreak havoc wherever they please.
Do you really believe European NATO countries don’t use their armies and weapons against everyday people? Hint: They did, do and will continue to do unless they are stopped.
I have a bridge to sell, thought you might be interested.
Well for bosnia they freed them agaisnts serbs allongside UN troops. But for the rest specially afghanistan & libya i igree with you no less.
Nato was created to preserve Israel and Turkey is one of the 3 Muslim majority countries that has any ties with the Jewish state. This is just for show, and the EU will follow Israeli interests in this issue.
Have you noticed Zionist media all of sudden quiet or supporting the Turkeys.
I heard Nutty the Yahoo offering humanitarian relief aid to SDF and not much else.
Indeed.
Turkey gets punished harder for killing a few Kurds in Syria it would seem then Saudi Arabia has been for murdering and destroying all of Yemen. No arms embargo in the case of SA. Hypocricy much?
Absolute propaganda, NATO Is firmly involved in the Turkey invasion of Syria. This is just a PR stunt, Zionist style. NATO and its Americunt masters are not fooling anyone.
They are hypocrites and rotten to their bones. Frankly I couldn’t care less if they sold any weapons to Turkey or not. If Turks were smart they should’ve had their national defence industry and be independent of their “allies”.
What I care about, is these putrid excuses of human beings did not care one bit that Saudis and Emiratis used arms and weapons purchased from them (as some kind of bribe) to murder civilians in Yemen. These countries shamelessly claimed their weapons were not used in the massacre of Yemeni civilians. Now that their lies are blown, they ask Saudis to “not use their (French) weapons in murder of civilians”, Arseholes didn’t ask them to stop the killing altogether, no, do it by all means just not our weapons!
The same thing they did to Iran when they armed and encouraged Saddam’s Iraq to attack Iran. Not only they didn’t deliver weapons which Iran paid fully for, UK even refused to deliver a utility ship to Iran because they feared Iran might use it in a war which it didn’t start. Naturally they kept all the money because duh! and armed Saddam with chemical weapons. Now they are paying the money back with interests.
eu is all of a sudden pro-kurds and it’s as if they were adopted by the european union – had erdogan been smarter he would have traded membership in the EU for certain liberties for the kurds.
I dont don any help or real active support for kurds in EU just empty words and promises. Not to forget before kurdish liberation in syria even BBC censored comments about UK & EU silence against kurdish massacres by turkish isis and blocked many accounts, also to censor news about atrocities of kurds in turkey. Eu is pro “NATO” Turks not lonely Kurds.