In an urgent appeal by letter, over thirty political parties and organisations in northern and eastern Syria have called on the United Nations (UN) to establish a no-fly zone over the autonomous areas. In the letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the signatories express their concern at Turkey's renewed threats of war against northern and eastern Syria and condemn the almost daily violations of the ceasefire and de-escalation agreements negotiated by Ankara with the governments in Washington and Moscow following the war of aggression in October 2019.

"We are concerned about the threat of a new encroachment in our regions where the idea of equal, multi-ethnic and multi-religious coexistence is being put into practice by all communities together with the autonomous administration. We condemn these threats and consider them a violation of Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty," reads the letter, which was handed over to the UN office in Qamishlo on Sunday.

Xelef Dawûd of the "Movement for Democratic Change" recited the appeal to the press after the handover. The politician warned urgently against the consequences of another Turkish invasion, which -he said- would further destabilise the war-torn situation in Syria, trigger a wave of refugees and destroy the peaceful coexistence of the peoples and their culture. "A new invasion by the Turkish state would also further complicate the international community's stance towards Syria and weaken its role in resolving the crisis. Moreover, terrorist organisations such as so-called ISIS and other jihadist militias would be strengthened by Turkey's belligerent actions. This would also put international peace and global security at risk," Dawûd quoted from the letter.

In view of the serious threats from Ankara, the United Nations is therefore now called upon to adopt "a stance in line with its human rights-based values" and to establish a no-fly zone over northern and eastern Syria "so that the civilian population can be protected from air strikes by Turkey", the undersigned parties and organisations demand. "Also in terms of a serious peace policy, the UN must act and hold the Turkish state accountable for its violations of international law in our territories. It is obvious that the government in Ankara ignores the protection of public security in northern and eastern Syria and international laws. Yet the decrease in negative reactions to its hostile perceptions emboldens this regime in its actions."

“Northern and Eastern Syria wants to solve problems through dialogue and peaceful means beyond war, but has to constantly defend itself against external attacks. We invite UN Secretary General António Guterres to take the role of a peacemaker and become a guarantor for the peaceful resolution of all conflicts between Turkey and us. We want to end the suffering of our people and save them from danger. No one should allow international law to be trampled on again in north-east Syria, Dawûd said.