AANES praises French deputies’ appeal for a no-fly zone, calling for international action

The Co-Presidency of the General Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria thanked the members of the French Parliament who demanded the imposition of a no-fly zone on North-East Syria.

On the initiative of Senator Laurence Cohen (French Communist Party), 102 French MPs from different political groups signed an article published on the website of the French newspaper "Le Journal du Dimanche" on Saturday (July 30), calling for the imposition of a no-fly zone in North-East Syria and demanding that the Syrian Kurds be placed under international protection.

The French MPs warned against a Turkish military invasion of northern Syria and stated that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria should be recognised, also to protect Europe from Islamist terror.

The Co-Presidency of the General Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) issued a written statement today, calling on all parliamentarians in the world, decision-makers, international organizations and humanitarian workers to stand side by side with the people of North-East Syria and to work for a complete no-fly zone on the area to prevent any Turkish occupation attacks on Syrian territory.

The statement by the Co-Presidency of AANES General Council reads as follows:

"The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria is facing many serious challenges and suffering from difficult humanitarian conditions, because of the siege, closure of humanitarian aid deliveries, and Turkey’s direct targeting of innocent citizens, the vital infrastructure, service facilities, roads, hospitals, electricity, and water stations.

In its attacks, the Turkish occupying state uses heavy weapons and drones, and has been targeting innocent civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. In addition, the constant Turkish threats to launch a large-scale military operation in northeast Syria further aggravate the situation in our regions. If this operation is to take place, it would have serious repercussions, including the occurrence of a real humanitarian catastrophe, forced displacement, demographic change, and ultimately total war.

The world has begun to understand the seriousness of the situation in northeast Syria and the repercussions of a possible attack on these areas. This realisation prompted members of the French Parliament to stand by the AANES and to reject any barbaric attacks on northeast Syria. Over a hundred French Parliamentarians sent a humanitarian message to the world that they stand side-by-side with the peoples of northeast Syria and the AANES.

Accordingly, we, the General Council of the AANES, express our gratitude to the members of the French Parliament, and commend their tremendous efforts in standing by our peoples and the AANES against imminent and potential Turkish attacks. We call upon all parliamentarians in the world, decision-makers, and international organisations to stand side-by-side with the residents of northeast Syria.

We also call upon the international community, especially the countries of the Global Coalition Against Daesh, to impose a no-fly zone over northeast Syria to prevent Turkish drones and aircraft from attacking and targeting our innocent people in our regions.”