The German representation of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) calls on NATO to stop the Turkish invasion plans, warning that an invasion by Turkey would mean the rebirth of ISIS.
The German representation of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) called on NATO to stop the Turkish invasion plans. In a statement on the NATO summit, it said:
"On 29 June, the NATO summit begins in Madrid. One day before, it was announced that Turkey had given up its blockade of the accession of Finland and Sweden. All three countries signed a trilateral memorandum under the auspices of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In this memorandum, they express in general terms their support for 'cooperation in the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, which poses a direct threat to the national security of the Allies as well as to international peace and security'. In addition, Turkish President Erdoğan again announced an invasion of northern and eastern Syria on Monday. For several years now, the Turkish army has repeatedly attacked the self-governing region in violation of international law."
Against this background, Khaled Davrish, co-representative of the AANES in Germany, demanded: "NATO members should follow the example of the US and clearly condemn Turkey's invasion plans. Turkey's occupation and ongoing drone and artillery attacks pose major threats to the security of the population. In addition, there are prisons with many ISIS fighters near the border. It must be clear to everyone: an invasion of Turkey means the rebirth of ISIS."
On 3 June, in response to a question from Gökay Akbulut, a member of the Bundestag, the German government made it clear that it does not support an invasion by Turkey in northern and eastern Syria: "The German government has repeatedly called on Turkey to pursue its security interests in Syria by political means and not by military means."
Viyan Toubal, co-representative of the AANES in Germany, noted: "Defence Minister Lambrecht must tell Turkey in no uncertain terms at the NATO summit: an invasion of northern and eastern Syria has no NATO support. The Autonomous Administration is ready to work on a diplomatic solution in compliance with international law."
The German representation of the north-eastern Syrian self-government is available for questions and offers the organisation of interviews with representatives from the region in English, Arabic and Kurdish. The office can be reached via [email protected] and the telephone number 0176-80868501.
