Syria Reiterates Rejection of Turkey’s ‘Safe Zone’

Date: 31 May 2022 - 22:17

News ID: ۱۰۳۲۱۶

DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – The Syrian government has reiterated its rejection of Turkey’s move to create a so-called border safe zone in northern Syria.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement the Turkish attempt to create a buffer zone on the Syrian border is an “outrageous” act of aggression.
The latest Turkish military incursion in northern Syria, which has been going on for a few days, violates human rights and commits war crimes, the ministry added.
The statement added the measures by Ankara have resulted in many civilian casualties, massive damage to public and private property plus critical infrastructure, and caused the displacement of dozens of families from their homes and villages.
“Syria holds any party that operates without a mandate from the Syrian government and seeks to justify the Turkish government bloody campaigns against Syrians primarily responsible for the aggressive policies and colonial plans of Erdogan’s regime in Syria,” it pointed out.
The ministry stressed that Damascus will never allow Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity to be used as blackmail or bargaining chip by the Turkish government, Washington and certain Western countries that seek political gains at the expense of Syrian people and their country’s territorial integrity.
On May 23, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would soon launch a new military operation in northern Syria in an effort to link up two areas already under Turkish occupation in the region.
The final aim is to create a 30-km ‘safe zone’ along the Turkish border with Syria, Erdogan noted.
The Turkish president did not provide further details, but said the operation would begin after Turkey’s military, intelligence and security forces completed their preparations.
Turkey has deployed forces in Syria in violation of the Arab country’s territorial integrity.
Ankara-backed militants were deployed to northeastern Syria in October 2019 after Turkish military forces launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push militants of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) away from border areas.