India condemns Turkey’s military incursion into Syria
India has called upon Turkey to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria
Photo: AFP
By IAR Desk
India has condemned Turkey’s unilateral military incursion in northern Syria. In a short note released by India’s Mnistry of External Affairs India expressed that it was “deeply concernced” at the “unilateral” military offensive by Turkey in north-east Syria.
“Turkey’s actions can undermine stablility in the region and the fight against terrorism. Its actions also has the potential for causing humanitarian and civilian distress,” the release said.
Calling upon Turkey to exercise restraint, India also caled upon Turkey to “respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria”.
On October 9th, Turkey’s military launched an offensive – “Peace Spring Operation” – in north-east Syria to push US-backed Kurdish forces away from its border. The Kurdish forces – the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces – had been at the forefront of the US’s war on the Islamic State (ISIS). It came soon after US President Donald Trump announced that US troops would pull back from the area.
Turkey says that the Kurdish forces are allied to the Kurdish PKK organisation which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations.
Recently Turkey has roiled India with its support for Pakistan and comments on India’s decision to reorganise the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which India sees as a strictly domestic affair.
In New York last month, where he was attending the UN General Assembly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with the heads of three states deeply antagonistic to Turkey – Armenia, Cypruss, and Greece.
Turkey’s military operations included both air and ground offensive, forcing thousands of civilians to flee the region. The UN Security Council will hold a closed-door meeting on the crisis on Thursday.
Arab states like Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also condemned Turkey’s actions.
