During a plenary session in France’s Strasbourg, the European parliament discussed concerns over Turkey’s latest military incursion in northern Syria and the Kurdistan Region that began following an explosion in Istanbul in November that killed at least six people, which Turkey has blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its Syrian proxies for.
“The EU calls for restraint and for urgent de-escalation,” said Helena Dalli, the European Commissioner for Equality, adding that Ankara “needs to act in a responsible manner and contribute to regional stability and security.”
Dalli warned that the Turkish operation jeopardizes the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), and threatens regional security and international stability.
The commissioner noted that Turkey has the right to respond to the Istanbul blast, but stressed that its security concerns from northeast Syria must be addressed through “political and diplomatic means, not by military action.”
Jan-Christoph Oetjen, a German MEP, said it was “abundantly clear” that the Istanbul blast must be condemned, but stressed that Turkey’s “retribution reprisals” in northern Syria and the Kurdistan Region must also be “condemned in equally strong terms.”
Several MEPs also called for establishing a no-fly zone over northern Syria in order to compel Turkey to cease its operations in the area, while noting the important role played by the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the stability of the region.
“We must stop the airstrikes in the north of Syria by setting up a no-fly zone… in the north of Syria we need to have this peaceful administration of the territory. They fought ISIS in alliance with the US and with Europe. This should be internationally recognized. This area has never been a threat to Turkey, it is quite the contrary,” said French MEP Francois Alfonsi.
Similar thoughts were echoed by Diyarbakir-born Swedish MEP Evin Incir, decrying the “silence” and “hypocrisy” of the international community towards the Turkish attacks against Kurds in Syria and the Kurdistan Region.
“EU must demand a no-fly zone over the Rojava region and act to end the Turkish aggression against the Kurds in the different parts before it is late,” she said.
The MEPs also criticized the European Union’s lack of action towards the Turkish offensives, accusing the body of “double standards” and pointing out the absence of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s absence from the session as a sign of negligence.
Turkey launched its latest aerial campaign dubbed Operation Claw-Sword targeting Kurdish positions of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the PKK in northern Syria and the Kurdistan Region on November 20, with Erdogan hinting that a ground operation would follow.
In a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, Erdogan once again affirmed his desire to complete the 30-kilometer zone along Turkey’s southern border with Syria, according to state-owned Anadolu Agency.
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