Islam Times - Syria Rejects Turkey’s Call for Safe Zone in Northern Syria as ‘Aggressive, Colonial Act’

Syria Rejects Turkey’s Call for Safe Zone in Northern Syria as ‘Aggressive, Colonial Act’

Islam Times - Damascus has categorically rejected Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan’s call for the establishment of a so-called safe zone in the occupied northern part of the war-ravaged country, describing the proposal as an “aggressive, colonial act.”

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, in two identical letters, addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the rotating president of the UN Security Council Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the Ankara government, through such a plan, seeks to create a volatile area inside Syria and continue to sponsor, arm and command terror groups against the Syrian nation.

The statement added that Turkey’s measures in Syrian territories are illegal and devoid of any legal effect, and even amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Syrian foreign ministry said it strongly rejects the recent disparaging and dangerous statements of Turkish officials, Erdogan in particular, regarding the establishment of a so-called buffer zone in northern Syria, emphasizing that Turkey plans to form colonies in occupied areas and launch military operations deep inside Syrian soil to impose its illegal measures.

“Aggression, occupation, and ethnic cleansing best explain the upshot of the illegal presence of Turkish forces in Syrian territories,” the statement read.

The statement went on to stress that Syria reserves the right to take all necessary measures stipulated in the UN Charter and international law to end Turkey’s practices of aggression, occupation, and ethnic cleansing against the Arab country.

The Syrian foreign ministry said Turkey continues to finance and arm Takfiri terrorist groups to use them against the Syrian nation and advance its extremist agenda, which poses grave dangers to regional and global peace and security.

The ministry stressed that Syria’s sovereignty, independence, safety, and territorial integrity must not be used as a plaything between Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, which threatens regional and international peace and security, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which irresponsibly seeks to drag the region into a vicious circle of conflict.