Germany rejects Turkish military operation on Syria’s north
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, during a press conference in Istanbul on Friday, expressed her country’s rejection of a Turkish military operation on northern Syria for many reasons.
Baerbock visited Turkey and met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, as they held a joint press conference.
The conference started with calm remarks, but later on the two ministers started to criticize each other’s policies, and atmosphere got tense.
One of the main topics discussed in the conference was the possible Turkish military operation that Turkey has threatened to launch against Syria’s north, as Baerbock expressed her country’s rejection of the operation.
Recently, Turkey has increased its escalation on the Syrian north and northeast and contact lines as well, especially after Turkey failed to obtain a green light by Iran and Russia, in Tehran Summit, to invade the region.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently announced plans to carry out another major military cross-border incursion into northern Syria. Erdogan specified his targets in the two northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
On July 1, Erdogan said that Ankara’s new military operation in northern Syria could begin at any moment.
“The time has come to clear these lands from the terrorist organizations,” Erdogan threatened during Tehran Summit.
Tehran’s trilateral Summit brought presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey together on July 19 with Syrian issue on the top of its agenda.
The German minister stressed, “A new military conflict will cause more suffering. Therefore, instability there will only benefit organizations like ISIS.”
In addition, Cavusoglu said that Germany should not be prejudiced in mediating between Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.
Tension was escalated when the German minister called on Turkey to implement rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), as she stressed, “This includes the ECHR’s decision to free and release Osman Kavala.”
The 62-year-old Kavala was arrested in November 2017 and accused of organizing anti-government protests in Istanbul’s Gezi Park four years earlier.