Reactions to the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria

The following is a list of reactions to the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.

Reactions in Turkey

A day prior to the operation, all Turkish opposition parties except the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) voted to extend the military's mandate on Syria. Opposition party leaders Meral Akşener (İyi Party), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (Republican People's Party), and Temel Karamollaoğlu (Felicity Party), also minor government partner party Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli expressed their support for the military operation. Akşener, Kılıçdaroğlu, and Bahçeli were directly informed of the operation by President Erdoğan immediately after its launch.

The HDP condemned the operation, calling it an "extremely dangerous and wrong step" and stating that "Turkey is being dragged into a dangerous and deep trap".

Religious communities and organisations

• Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople supported the operation: "We pray that the Operation Peace Spring, which aims to end terrorism and ensure the security of the borders, will continue in accordance with its purpose and establish peace and security as soon as possible... We always have prayers in our church for the army and survival of our country." Turkish
• Turkey's Jewish Community announced its support to the operation on a Twitter post. They stated: "We wish success in the fight against terror towards our state and our glorious army".
• The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Turkey said: "As The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Turkey, we wish that the Turkish Armed Forces will be successful in the Operation Peace Spring in north-eastern Syria, against the terrorist elements that threaten the survival of our country. And we hope that our hero soldiers will return to our country successfully." on a written statement.

Arrests

See also: 2016–present purges in Turkey and Censorship in Turkey

Turkish police arrested more than 20 online critics of the Turkish invasion for spreading "terrorist propaganda". Turkish prosecutor opened an investigation into "terrorist propaganda" against MPs Sezai Temelli and Pervin Buldan, co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish HDP party. Turkish authorities have detained web editor of opposition BirGün newspaper and managing editor of the online news portal Diken.

Reactions in Syria

• Syrian Government – The government strongly condemned the Turkish attack, dubbing it a "disgraceful breach of international law and UN resolutions that respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity".
• Syrian Democratic Forces – An SDF spokesman told Al-Jazeera regarding the offensive, "Threats made by Turkey to attack the area is not something new, they have constantly done it for years. We as Syrian Democratic Forces take the matter into account and are fully prepared to fiercely respond to any imminent attack on Syrian soil."
• Jaysh al-Izza – Jaysh al-Izza's leader criticzed fighters leaving Idlib to take part in the Turkish-led operation against SDF, on twitter, saying they should instead remain in Idlib to retake areas lost to the government in an offensive in August.
• Syrian Turkmen Assembly – In a written statement from the assembly, it's stated: "As a result of the extermination and exile movement of the terrorist organization, the Turkmen presence in the east of the Euphrates had suffered a severe wound." The statement also underlined that the operation was a "mandatory and legitimate intervention".

Religious communities and organisations

• Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo – Jean-Clément Jeanbart, the Greek-Melkite Archbishop of Aleppo, said that the Turkish offensive is "another source of violence we would rather have done without." Jeanbart said this is concerning because it will in fact lead to the creation of a extra-territorial pocket within another nation.

International reactions

UN-member states

• Algeria – Algeria expressed its rejection to the Turkish military operation in northern Syria and reaffirmed its "full" support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.
• Armenia – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a statement which condemns the military invasion by Turkey in north-east Syria, which would lead to deterioration of regional security, losses among civilians, mass displacement and eventually to a new humanitarian crisis. The plight of ethnic and religious minorities is of particular concern. This military invasion also creates an imminent threat of identity based grave and massive violations of human rights. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during Cabinet meeting, that Armenia condemns the invasion of the Turkish armed forces in Syria.
• Australia – Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that he was concerned for the safety of the Kurds living in the region and also feared that the offensive could result in a resurgence of ISIS.
• Azerbaijan – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on a written statement that Operation Peace Spring will serve to eliminate the terror risks, return of the refugees to their homes, solution of the humanitarian problems and providing peace and stability within the territorial integrity of Syria.
• Bahrain – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemned the military attack by Turkey on areas in northeast of Syria.
• Canada – On 9 October 2019, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland stated on Twitter that Canada "firmly condemns Turkey’s military incursion into Syria today."
• Cyprus – Cyprus strongly condemned the operation and argued that it was against international law.
• China – China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that China held "Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity must be respected and upheld", noted that several sides had "expressed concerns" over Turkey's military operation and urged Turkey to "exercise restraint".
• Czech Republic – Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček stated his opposition to the Turkish operation and argued that it would worsen the situation of civilians and refugees.
• Estonia – Foreign Minister Reinsalu stated that all diplomatic channels must be used to influence Turkey on finding a political solution.
• Denmark – Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod tweeted that he is "deeply concerned about" the situation and believed the offensive to be "a regrettable and wrong decision" on Turkey's part, fearing that it could "have serious consequences for civilians and the fight against ISIL." On 10 October, Denmark condemned the operation.
• Egypt – Egypt's Foreign Ministry condemned Turkey's offensive. It also called for the UN Security Council to halt "any attempts to occupy Syrian territories" or "change the demographics in northern Syria". In addition, it called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League.
• Finland – Finland condemned Turkey's attack on Syria and freezed arms export permissions to Turkey.
• France – Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned the unilateral Turkish operation in northeast Syria on 9 October 2019, and declared "is jeopardising the anti-Islamic State coalition’s security and humanitarian efforts and is a risk for the security of Europeans. It has to end". France and Britain call for Security council meeting. French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Turkey would be responsible for helping Islamic State to re-establish a Caliphate in Syria as he called on Turkey to stop its military offensive against Kurdish forces the north of Syria.
• Germany – Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas warned that the offensive would cause more destabilization in the region and could cause ISIS to grow.
• Greece – Minister for Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias condemned Turkey's invasion of Syria, stating that "Turkey is making a big mistake". Furthermore, about Turkey's plans for the creation of a safe zone in Northern Syria for the immigrants to be resettled, at the expense of the local Kurdish population he stated that it "is illegal since the resettlement of immigrants must comply with some basic principles: to be voluntary and dignified. [...] Therefore, what Turkey does, goes against human rights".
• Hungary – Hungary vetoed an attempt by the EU member states to unanimously issue a warning against the operation citing "countries have rights to protect their borders". However, Hungary finally accepted the EU declaration condemning the Turkish military intervention in Syria.
• Iceland – Iceland strongly condemned 'the Turkish move against Kurds' and called on Turkey to end the operation.
• India – India condemned Turkey for its unilateral military move, claiming it would undermine regional stability and the fight against terrorism. India also called upon Turkey to exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.
• Ireland – Ireland stated that unilateral military action cannot be condoned and was deeply troubled by the Turkish operation.
• Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the operation and warned against ethnic cleansing of Kurds by Turkey and its proxies, and stated that "Israel is prepared to extend humanitarian assistance to the gallant Kurdish people."
• Iran – Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has voiced opposition to the offensive viewing it as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. However regarding the US withdrawal from Syria Zarif commented saying the US was an "irrelevant occupier in Syria", and said that Iran would be willing to mediate tensions between Syria and Turkey. In addition, Iran's parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani cancelled his scheduled trip to Turkey.
• Iraq – President Barham Salih condemned the operation, stating that "Turkey’s military incursion into Syria is a grave escalation; will cause untold humanitarian suffering, empower terrorist groups. The world must unite to avert a catastrophe, promote political resolution to the rights of all Syrians, including Kurds, to peace, dignity & security".
• Italy – Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stated that the offensive puts the region's civilians and stability in jeopardy. Italian Foreign Minister condemned the operation, declaring that the offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria is "unacceptable" and calling for an immediate end to the fighting.
• Japan– Foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, said in a statement: "Japan is deeply concerned that the latest military operation would make the settlement of Syrian crisis more difficult and cause further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Japan once again underscores its position that the Syrian crisis cannot be solved by any military means."
• Jordan – Jordan urged Turkey to halt the offensive and to solve all issues diplomatically.
• Kuwait – Kuwait stated that it was concerned about how the offensive might negatively affect the peacefulness and stability of the region and called for restraint.
• Latvia – Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs described the operation as 'disturbing' and urged Turkey to cease its operation to pursue a political solution.
• Lebanon – Lebanon condemned the operation and called on Turkey to rethink its move.
• Lithuania – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius described the operation as 'worrying' and urged Turkey to find a political solution.
• Luxembourg – Luxembourg condemned the operation and called on Turkey to cease its actions.
• Netherlands – Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok tweeted that Turkey should not "follow the path it has chosen", noting that "[t]he operation can trigger new refugee flows and harm the fight against IS and stability in the region."
• Norway – Norway called on Turkey to end the operation and to respect international law As a precautionary measure, Norway suspended all new deliveries of military hardware to Turkey, a fellow member of NATO, making this the first such action by an alliance country. Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide also said that Norway is also reviewing all valid licenses for military and multi-use military export licenses in Turkey.
• Pakistan – Spokesman for Foreign Ministry has welcomed the operation, and said "We appreciate Turkey’s positive role in finding a viable political solution to the conflict in Syria. We also acknowledge Turkey’s humanitarian efforts by graciously hosting over 3.5 million Syrian refugees. We recognize Turkey’s legitimate security concerns in the region." Also added that Pakistan and Turkey were "a victim of terrorism".
• Poland – Poland stated that they hoped the operation would end as soon as possible and feared that the operation would deteriorate the humanitarian situation in the region.
• Qatar – Qatar announced its support on Turkish military operation.
• Russia – President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of the Security Council of Russia on 8 October to discuss the issue. He spoke to Erdoğan by phone the next day; Putin urged his Turkish partners to carefully consider the situation so as not to damage the overall efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis. The Russian government also stated that Turkey has a right to defend itself, but called upon foreign militaries with what it described as an illegal presence in Syria to leave. On 11 October, Vladimir Putin warned that Islamic State militants held by Kurdish armed forces in northeast Syria could escape as a result of a Turkish military operation there. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Turkey's incursion into Syria "could ignite the entire region."
• Saudi Arabia – The government of Saudi Arabia condemned Turkey's actions in a statement, saying that the operation "has negative repercussions on the security and stability of the region". The Saudi foreign ministry also claimed that the offensive is a violation of Syria's unity, independence and sovereignty.
• Slovenia – Slovenia stated that it is deeply concerned and urged Turkey cease the operation and to find a political solution.
• Spain – The Spanish Delegation to NATO wrote on their official Twitter account, that NATO "support to Turkey is aimed at contributing to a de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance’s border". However, the tweet was later deleted.
• Sweden – Sweden stated that the Turkish operation was a threat to the region and the Kurdish efforts against ISIS. Moreover, Turkey was urged not to escalate the situation. On October 10th, Sweden condemned the Turkish offensive as a violation of international law and as destabilizing the situation on the ground, risking grave humanitarian consequences and calling on the UN Security Council to handle the issue.
• Switzerland – Switzerland stated that they were following the situation closely and called for restraint.
• United Arab Emirates – The UAE stated that they condemn the Turkish interference and offensive in Syria in the strongest terms.
• United Kingdom – In a telephone call with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the offensive as an "invasion" and expressed "serious concern". Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "I have serious concerns about the unilateral military action that Turkey has taken. This risks destabilising the region, exacerbating humanitarian suffering, and undermining the progress made against Daesh which should be our collective focus."

• United States – President Donald Trump stated that "the United States does not endorse this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea." Trump has threatened to devastate the economy of Turkey if they do "anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits". However, Trump defended his decision to withdraw American troops, arguing that the Kurds "didn't help us in the Second World War, they didn't help us with Normandy as an example". Trump also stated: "Alliances are very easy. But our alliances have taken advantage of us". Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied that the United States had given a 'green light' for Turkey to attack the Kurds. However, Pompeo defended the Turkish military action, stating that Turkey has a "legitimate security concern" with "a terrorist threat to their south". Senator Lindsey Graham warned that he would "introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if they invade Syria". He said he would also "call for their suspension from NATO if they attack Kurdish forces who assisted the United States in the destruction of the ISIS Caliphate". Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to sanction Turkey, as well as in the House of Representatives.

Supranational

• Arab League – Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called the offensive a "blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty". The Arab League will meet in Cairo on 12 October 2019 to discuss Turkey's actions.
• European Union – On 8 October 2019, European Commissioner for migration Dimitris Avramopoulos said that "the European Union remains committed to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian state". High Representative Federica Mogherini issued a declaration on behalf of the EU on 9 October 2019 stating that "In light of the Turkish military operation in north-east Syria, the EU reaffirms that a sustainable solution to the Syrian conflict cannot be achieved militarily. The EU calls upon Turkey to cease the unilateral military action." President of the European Council Donald Tusk reprimanded Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for threatening to send millions of Syrian refugees to Europe and blasted the Turkish operation in northern Syria as destabilizing the region, which should halt. On the 11th, the EU began discussing on possible sanctions and arms embargoes of Turkey.
• NATO – Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Turkey is "at the forefront of the crisis and has legitimate security concerns", having suffered terrorist attacks and hosting millions of refugees. He added that NATO was informed by Turkish authorities about the ongoing operations in Northern Syria. He further stated that it was "important to avoid actions that may further destabilise the region, escalate tensions, and cause more human suffering." He called on Turkey to "act with restraint" and said that the gains made against ISIS should not be jeopardized.
• United Nations – The UN cautioned regarding the offensive calling for the protection of civilians. Panos Moumtzis, the UN's Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, commented saying "Any (military) operation that takes place at the moment has to take into account to ensure that we don’t see any further displacement." António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN expressed his "deep concern" at the spiralling violence in Syria a day after Turkey launched an offensive in Kurdish-controlled areas. He said any solution to the conflict needed to respect the sovereignty of the territory and the unity of Syria.

Unrecognized or partially recognized states

• Northern Cyprus – Prime Minister Ersin Tatar has showed its support on the operation and said that Cypriot Turks are always on Turkey's side.

Regional governments

• Kurdistan Region – The autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq expressed deep concern and called upon Turkey to "avoid any initiative that would undermine the progress made against ISIS".

• Scotland - The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon expressed concerns in the Scottish Parliament saying "I say very clearly and strongly that I and the Scottish Government are deeply concerned about and are strongly opposed to Turkey’s unilateral military action in northern Syria."

NGOs

• Genocide Watch, member and current Coordinator of the Alliance Against Genocide, renewed a genocide alert as all the stages of the genocidal process identified by Gregory Stanton are far advanced, and it stated that Turkey is planning genocide and crimes against humanity in Northeastern Syria. It also noted that 100,000 Christians live in the area that Turkey will invade and Turkey and its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, have a century old history of genocide against Christians.
• Human Rights Watch – Kenneth Roth, Executive Director at Human Rights Watch said that Turkey and its allies have previously unlawfully killed, arbitrarily arrested, and wrongfully displaced civilians. This military operation risks repeating these abuses unless they take steps now. A report by HRW also stated that Turkey’s plan to create a 32-kilometer “safe zone” in Syria where it could relocate one million Syrian refugees is woefully misguided, dangerous and bound to fail. Turkey’s military operations in northeast Syria could also displace civilians currently living there and put in danger any refugees moved into the zone.
• International Rescue Committee – IRC stated that it is deeply concerned about the lives of the 2 million civilians at risk - many of whom have already survived ISIS brutality and multiple displacements. A military offensive by Turkey could displace 300,000 people and sever life-saving humanitarian services, including the IRC's. Even a limited military initiative could see 60,000 displaced, the majority of whom were already in dire humanitarian need.
• Médecins Sans Frontières – Robert Onus, MSF Emergency Manager for Syria said "This escalation can only exacerbate the trauma that the people of Syria have already endured through years of war and of living in precarious conditions." The Turkish military campaign in northeast Syria has displaced civilians and led to the closure of some main hospitals there, including a main MSF-supported hospital in the Syrian border town of Tell Abyad, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said.