Türkiye condemns US national emergency on Turkish operation in Syria

ANKARA

Türkiye has condemned a national emergency that was declared by U.S. President Joe Biden in the context of Syria in October 2019 and was renewed again on Oct. 12.

The decree contains “baseless allegations and accusations about our country,” said the Foreign Ministry on Oct. 13.

“The allegations regarding the Operation Peace Spring, which our country carried out in order to fight terrorism, protect border security, and eliminate the separatist terrorist threats originating from Syria, are unfounded in the decree,” read the statement.

The Operation Peace Spring, which Türkiye carried out in accordance with the right of self-defense arising from Article 51 of the U.N. Charter and the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council on the fight against terrorism, provided an environment of peace and stability in the region, the ministry said.

It ensured the removal of PKK/YPG and DEASH from the operation zone and contributed to the preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity, it added.

“We expect the U.S. to end its engagement with the terrorist organization PKK/YPG and fulfill the provisions of the Joint Statement dated Oct. 17, 2019,” the statement said.

The situation in and in relation to Syria, and in particular the actions by the government of Türkiye to conduct a military offensive into northeast Syria, undermines the campaign to defeat the ISIL,
the U.S. decree said. It noted that the operation “endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region, and continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” it added.