PACE President: Turkey must end military operation

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Liliane Maury Pasquier, issued a written statement

The statement today said: "It is with great concern that I am following the events related to Turkey's military intervention in northern Syria. This intervention entails risks of great tension, its humanitarian consequences for the population of the region are disastrous, and I regret the loss of human lives, especially civilians."

Pasquier recalled "the positions of the Assembly contained in Resolution 2298 (2019) concerning the situation in Syria, including the call to all parties involved in military operations 'to take all necessary precautions to avoid harm to the thousands of civilians who are trapped in the middle of air strikes and ground fighting, in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law.' The Assembly also expressed its support for 0the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic in line with United Nations Security Council Resolutions and the Sochi final statement of 30 January 2018'".

Pasquier added that she expects "all member states of the Council of Europe to respect this position and to act responsibly" and she called "on Turkey to put an end to a military operation that has already produced serious humanitarian consequences and represents a real danger of violation of international standards for the protection of human rights."