102 French MPs warn against a Turkish military invasion of northern Syria and call for a no-fly zone. They state that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria should be recognised, also to protect Europe from Islamist terror.

On the initiative of Senator Laurence Cohen (French Communist Party), 102 French MPs from different political groups issued an appeal warning against the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and a military operation in Northern Syria:

"In Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's Russia is committing war crimes and Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning another bloody offensive against the Kurds in northern Syria in the shadow of the global uproar. Today, he is using his status as NATO's linchpin in the Ukraine conflict to secure the Atlantic Alliance's blank cheque to intensify his attacks in northern Syria. In the areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), Kurdish, Arab, Syrian-Chaldean, Armenian and all other ethnic groups live together and try to organise themselves in a democratic, feminist and ecological system, despite the terrible conditions of war. They are fighting to build peace in constant dialogue with the population."

The MPs recalled the occupation of Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) and Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) in October 2019 and stated: “In 2019, Erdogan launched an offensive that was accompanied by countless civilian victims, destruction and barbaric acts and aimed at destabilising the social and political fabric. In the face of the abuses committed by the Turkish army, Western countries must no longer look away."

"The Turkish invasion also threatens Europe"

The appeal continued: “The fight of the PKK guerrillas and the YPG/YPJ against the terrorist organisation "Islamic State" (IS) has been recognised internationally and must not be forgotten. This situation concerns all of us, not just a few, and we must not allow Erdogan's army to attack our Kurdish allies again. We must not forget that thousands of members of jihadist gangs have been arrested in the areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. If we give Erdogan the green light for a new invasion operation in northern Syria, it would destabilise the region and pose a serious threat to Europe's security."

The statement also stressed the need to ensure the safety of Kurdish activists and institutions on European soil: "We, deputies of different political persuasions in France, condemn Erdogan's war policy and call on European leaders not to be intimidated by him".

The appeal called on the EU and France to initiate the necessary procedure in the UN Security Council to declare the north of Syria a no-fly zone and to place the Kurds in Syria under international protection. In addition, the 102 French MPs demanded that the status of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria be recognised by the international authorities in order to achieve a lasting solution in the region.