Turkey’s ongoing invasion of Kurdish villages in north-western Syria has been condemned by GUE/NGL.

MEPs have strongly criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdoğan’s unilateral strike at the Kurdish YPG at a time when the region is still reeling from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

Cypriot MEP and the Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation to Turkey, Takis Hadjigeorgiou said:

”We strongly condemn the Turkish invasion of north-western Syria. We denounce this violation of Syria's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the bloodshed that it has caused. We stand with all the peacekeeping forces that call for an immediate end to the invasion and the withdrawal of Turkish troops.”

“We express our solidarity with the Syrian people and the Kurds in both Syria and Turkey who are constantly threatened by the Turkish government.” 

“For the above reasons, I sent an Urgent Question to EU High Representative Federica Mogherini on Saturday, urging her to take action to stop this invasion and to bring forward initiatives that will lead to a long-lasting peace solution in Syria.”

German MEP Martina Michels also criticised President Erdoğan’s action:

“It is unacceptable that the Turkish army has been attacking Kurdish villages near the city of Afrin. But this goes beyond the systematic destruction of the Kurdish YPG group. It goes to the heart of Erdoğan’s long-held dream of destroying Kurdish self-determination – not just within Turkey but in Iraq and Syria as well.”

“What the Turkish President has done completely undermines the efforts of the international community in rooting out the spread of Daesh, the Al-Nusra Front and related Islamist militias. All the while, the war in Syria goes on with no end in sight,” added Michels.

Meanwhile, French MEP Marie-Christine Vergiat has described the Turkish invasion as deplorable:

 “Turkey’s military operation in the Kurdish region around Afrin is deplorable.”

“President Erdoğan is seeking to destroy the Kurdish forces that are both fighting against Daesh and stabilising the region. His regime is once again putting Turkey’s own domestic interests ahead of the respect for international law.”

“The international community must act quickly by taking a stand against these operations and by bolstering our support to the inhabitants of Afrin,” she concluded.