The Foreign Ministry says Turkey’s continued military presence in Syrian territories without the Damascus government’s consent will aggravate the situation in the region, and called for an immediate halt to the Turkish military operations in the Arab country.
“Escalation of clashes in northern Syria will result in the killing of more innocent people and civilians,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Tuesday, in response to Turkey’s move to launch a major military intervention in Syria by sending tanks and warplanes across the border in the so-called Euphrates Shield operation, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Ankara says the purpose of its military incursion is to dislodge militants of the so-called Islamic State terrorist group from Jarablus, a city located near the Turkish-Syrian border, and to contain expansion of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.
The spokesman said although the fight against terrorism should be the main principle in the foreign policy of peace-loving countries, it should not provide a pretext to justify the violation of another country’s territorial integrity, military incursions without permission from the country’s government or disrespect for its sovereignty.
In the war on terror there is no place for the approaches that undermine a central government’s political sovereignty and legitimacy, Qasemi added.
