“It is not possible to build peace in the region while Afrin remains under occupation. This refers both to the Turkish army and its mercenary jihadist groups", said many organisations and associations in Oslo, Norway.
Many organisations and associations in Oslo, Norway, called to make 20 January World Afrin Day.
The call was made at a press conference organised by politician, writer Erling Folkvord and Norwegian woman activist Tord Viktor Joensen at the Oslo CDK headquarters.
The statement said: “In January last year the Syrian region of Afrin was a safe area before Turkey attacked it”.
The statement added: “Afrin located near the border with Turkey and northwest of the city of Aleppo was a mostly Kurdish-populated city, but displaced Arabs, Turkmens and Yazidis also moved in seeking shelter from war.
Although the Afrin administration was not involved in the civil war launched against Bashar al-Assad in 2011, it later joined the Northern Syrian Democratic Federation. Turkey's President Erdoğan has been working hard and has been deeply involved in the Syrian war, to destroy this multiethnic and democratic process and the social order created by this federation.”
The call continued: “Turkey invaded Afrin and as a consequence the population of the city and the refugees who had find shelter there were forced to flee.
The occupation and attacks of the Turkish state against Afrin violate both international laws and the sovereignty of Syria.”
Reminding that one year on, Afrin is still under occupation, the statement said: “For Turkey to withdraw all military forces from Afrin we demand that the United Nations and member states put pressure on Turkey.”
The statement ended with the following remarks: “It is not possible to build peace in the region while Afrin remains under occupation. This refers both to the Turkish army and its mercenary jihadist groups.
We therefore call on political parties, trade unions and all other organizations to recognize and support 20 January as World Afrin Day.”
