At a press conference with Leyla Imret of the HDP, German left-wing party leaders Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger described the Turkish invasion of northern Syria as helping to protect ISIS and called for economic pressure on Turkey.
A delegation from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) started a traffic of meetings with the political parties and civil society organizations in German capital city Berlin against the Turkish military offensive seeking to invade North and East Syria.
In this scope, HDP former MP Ertuğrul Kürkçü and HDP Germany Representation co-chair Leyla Imret have met with co-chairpersons of the Left Party (Die Linke), Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger on Wednesday to discuss the current situation in northern Syria.
Imret and Die Linke co-chairs held a press conference after the meeting. Speaking here, Imret informed about the aggressive war of Turkey, the precarious situation of hundreds of thousands of people on the run and the resurrection of the ISIS. She also pointed to the increased repression against her party and the suppression of any criticism of the Turkish war in parallel with the invasion of northern Syria. She called for a no-fly zone and recognition of the autonomous administration of northern and eastern Syria.
Among other things, Katja Kipping recalled that it was the Kurdish forces of the YPG / YPJ who saved the Yazidis from an even more serious genocide by the ISIS. "The invasion of northern Syria is helping the ISIS," said the Left Party Leader, criticizing the federal government for preventing an effective arms embargo at EU level.
Bernd Riexinger called for stronger economic pressure against Erdoğan and a general EU arms embargo on Turkey. Export interests should not be placed before human interests, Riexinger said and added; "It cannot be that a warmonger who wages war in violation of international law will also receive financial support. I agree that the accounts of Erdoğan and his entire family must be frozen."
