Paris will seek the cessation of the Turkish military operation "Source of Peace" in the SAR, according to the communiqué of the Champs Elysees. France will “step up its diplomatic efforts” in coordination with partners in the Syrian coalition through NATO, the European Union and the UN Security Council to achieve an “immediate cessation” of the Turkish army’s offensive in Syria. The French authorities also intend to take measures to ensure the safety of civilians in the areas of the Turkish military operation.
“France condemns (the Turkish offensive. - RT ) in the most decisive manner,” the document says after a meeting of the French Defense and National Security Council, during which Emmanuel Macron said that Ankara’s actions could lead to the revival of the “Islamic state” * and general destabilization of the situation in Syria.
Earlier, Berlin had already condemned the actions of Turkey, the German authorities imposed restrictions on the export of weapons to Turkey. The German Foreign Ministry said that the federal government will not issue permission for new deliveries of weapons to Turkey, which can be used by its military in Syria. According to German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Berlin wants the question of stopping arms supplies to Ankara to be raised at the pan-European level. Note that the French authorities also announced the cessation of arms exports to Turkey.
In addition, Maas did not rule out additional steps against Turkey because of Operation Source of Peace, in addition to the arms embargo.
The initiatives of Berlin and Paris against the Ankara operation can be widely supported by European countries. Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to end the military offensive in Syria. In a telephone conversation with the Turkish leader, the head of the British Cabinet said that London could not approve of Ankara’s military operation.
A number of EU countries supported the idea of imposing an embargo on arms supplies to Turkey in connection with the Ankara operation “Source of Peace”. Statements condemning Turkey’s actions were made during a meeting of the EU Council. Thus, the Dutch Foreign Minister Steph Blok confirmed that Amsterdam had already frozen arms deliveries to Turkey, calling Ankara’s actions “a violation of international law”.
Didier Reinders, head of the Belgian Foreign Ministry, said that EU countries plan to discuss the introduction of an arms embargo against Turkey on October 14.
The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, called on Ankara to stop Operation Source of Peace. In response, Turkish authorities threatened to open the way to Europe for a new wave of refugees.
- League of Arab States in Cairo
- Reuters
- © Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Recall that during the many years of the Syrian conflict, millions of Syrians fled the war to neighboring Turkey. Now the Turkish authorities plan to return these people to the territory of the so-called “security zone”, which should be created in the border regions of the SAR following the results of the military operation “Source of Peace”. Traditionally, ethnic Kurds live in these parts of Syria, whose military-political structures Ankara considers to be terrorist.
Washington is also preparing to take action against Ankara. As Donald Trump said the day before, he is preparing to introduce “powerful sanctions” against Turkey along with Congress.
“I am working with (Senator) Lindsay Graham and many members of Congress, including the Democrats, to impose powerful sanctions on Turkey. The Ministry of Finance is ready for work; additional law may be required. There is excellent consensus on this. Turkey asked that this not be done. Get in touch! ”Wrote the American leader on Twitter.
Not only Turkey’s NATO partners and EU countries opposed Ankara’s actions, political and economic measures against the Turkish side are also being prepared through the League of Arab States.
“The LAS Council at the level of the Foreign Ministers agreed to consider urgent measures to counter Turkish aggression against Syria, including lowering diplomatic relations and ending military cooperation,” the organization said in a statement following an emergency meeting.
Arab countries demanded that Turkey immediately cease Operation Source of Peace, as it “poses a direct threat to national security” by its neighbors in the region.
Tehran chose milder language to express its displeasure to Ankara. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani advised his Turkish counterpart to reconsider the decision on the offensive in Syria, as this will not benefit the region.
The Turkish operation was also opposed by the leadership of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. According to the leader of the Turkish Cypriots Mustafa Akinci, the conflict should have been resolved with the help of diplomacy.
“The conflict was brewing on many issues”
Recall that the Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the beginning of Operation Source of Peace in northern Syria on October 9. According to the politician, the military offensive is directed against the military-political structures of the Kurds, such as the Self-Defense Units (Kurdish Yekîneyên Parastina Gel, YPG), as well as the remnants of the “Islamic State” in the region.
In the designated areas, the American military forces were located, which throughout the Pentagon’s Syrian campaign relied on an alliance with Kurdish troops. On October 11, the U.S. military underwent shelling from Turkish positions, the Pentagon said. In Ankara, guilt for shelling NATO allies was not recognized. As the Turkish military leadership explained, before the opening of the fire "all necessary measures were taken to ensure that the American base was not damaged."
- US Armed Forces in Syria
- Reuters
- © Rodi Said
It should be noted that the "Source of Peace" is not the first military operation of Ankara against the Kurds in Syria. In 2016, the Turkish army launched an offensive in the Syrian province of Aleppo, the operation was called the “Euphrates Shield” and was aimed, according to the Turkish leadership, against Kurdish military structures and IS fighters.
The second operation started in early 2018 under the name “Olive Branch”. The fighting unfolded in the Syrian canton of Afrin. Turkey then took advantage of the support of the armed opposition from the Free Syrian Army. The reason for the offensive was a statement by American officials about their intention to deploy armed Kurdish formations along the perimeter of the Turkish border.
At the same time, Ankara’s previous military operations did not cause such a flurry of criticism from the international community, experts say.
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- Reuters
- © Murat Kula / Presidential Press Office / Handout
According to a senior researcher at the Center for Euro-Atlantic Security Yulia Kudryashova, one of the reasons for the indignation of the world community is that the Kurds against whom the Turkish operation is directed have shown themselves to be the most consistent and reliable opponents of the Islamic State.
“In addition, such a consolidated reaction of the world community is connected with the reluctance of other countries to allow Turkey to increase its influence in Syria, since Ankara was initially assigned a limited role in the Middle East arena,” the expert noted in a commentary to RT.
According to Andrei Manoilo, doctor of political sciences, professor at Moscow State University, the consolidated position of the world community on the Turkish operation is connected with the position of the United States.
“Most likely, the Turkish president expected a similar reaction and was ready for any development of events, because he remembers how the States tried to remove him from power. However, now some serious steps towards Ankara are unlikely to follow the threats. We should not forget that Turkey has the second largest army in NATO after the United States. In fact, now the United States may even be beneficial if the Turkish military clashes with the Syrian government army in the SAR, as well as the Iranian units that support Damascus, ”the expert explained in an interview with RT.
Yulia Kudryashova agrees that Ankara was ready for a negative reaction to its actions from a number of countries and supranational associations.
“Today, relations with the EU in Turkey are in a frozen state, and the conflict with the US was brewing on many issues, primarily because of the support of the Kurdish troops by the Americans and the situation surrounding the refusal to supply Ankara with F-35 aircraft,” the expert noted.
By the UN
Given that among the opponents of the Turkish operation in Syria there are countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council, Turkey’s opponents may try to put pressure on it along this line if the Turkish side goes too far, Yulia Kudryashova said.
“Ankara itself understands that it cannot in any way conflict with other permanent members of the UN Security Council, for example, with Russia and China. It should be borne in mind that in Turkey, the economic crisis, the lira is falling against the backdrop of the latest news. Therefore, Turkey needs economic cooperation with Moscow and Beijing, otherwise it will be in complete isolation, ”Kudryashova said.
The day before, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Moscow “positively” relates to the Turkish operation “Source of Peace”.
“There are a lot of rumors now, but through the embassy we know that Russia has a positive approach on Kobani. It seems that there will be no problems, ”the Turkish leader said, adding that Ankara and Moscow are negotiating at the military and diplomatic levels.
Earlier, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov explained that the Russian side understands the Turkish authorities’ anxiety about their own national security, but there are also key international standards, the observance of which is the basis for restoring peace in Syria. First of all, we are talking about maintaining the territorial integrity of the republic, said Ushakov.
According to Kudryashova, although almost the entire international community has now opposed Turkey, this is unlikely to stop Erdogan from continuing the operation.
The expert believes that the blocking of arms exports to Turkey by Western countries will not have much effect on Ankara and will not affect the combat effectiveness of the Turkish troops.
“The Turkish army is quite well equipped, Turkey has a developed military-industrial complex, which is able to provide military weapons. In addition, Turkey purchases weapons from Russia. Therefore, for Paris and Berlin, embargo threats are simply an element of psychological pressure, ”the expert said.
A similar point of view is shared by Andrei Manoilo. According to the expert, despite a flurry of criticism that has struck Ankara because of Operation Source of Peace, Turkey is not facing isolation in the international arena.
“Only weak countries make outcasts when, for exemplary purposes, they finish them off or try to teach a lesson. This will not happen in the foreseeable future, since Ankara has real forces, ”the expert concluded.
* “Islamic State” (IG) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.