PARIS, October 12. /TASS/. President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Liliane Maury Pasquier expressed her concern about Turkey’s operation in Syria that might trigger escalation in the region, she said in a statement released on Saturday.
"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," the statement said.
Pasquier recalled the assembly’s stance on Syria stipulated in Resolution 2298 passed in 2019. The resolution urges all the parties to the conflict "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."
According to Pasquier, PACE also expressed its support for "the 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."
"I expect all member states of the Council of Europe to respect this position and to act responsibly. At the same time, I call 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," she stressed.
On October 9, Ankara launched an offensive in north Syria dubbed Operation Peace Spring, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish units. The objective is to establish a safety zone in northern Syria for protection of the Turkish border. In addition, Syrian refugees could return to that area from Turkey, Ankara believes. Syria’s SANA news agency slammed Ankara’s operation as an act of aggression.