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Actions by Turkey, US may lead to terrorist revival in Syria, Iraq, says French PM

The French prime minister pointed out that Paris is keen on maintaining dialogue with Ankara

PARIS, October 15. /TASS/. The Syria policy of Turkey and the US will have serious consequences for the region, leading to the revival of the Islamic State (IS) terror group (outlawed in Russia) in Syria and Iraq, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, when answering questions from the country’s lawmakers on Tuesday.

"It is disastrous for our security and will inevitably lead to an IS revival in northeastern Syria and perhaps in northwestern Iraq," he said. Philippe emphasized that "France, along with a number of other countries, has suspended arms supplies to Turkey."

At the same time, the French prime minister pointed out that Paris "would like to maintain dialogue with Ankara because although France condemns Turkey’s move, it is important to maintain dialogue for today and tomorrow."

On October 9, Ankara announced the launch of Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria. The operation’s goal is said to be the creation of a buffer zone along the Turkish border, where, according to Ankara, Syrian refugees residing in Turkey could return. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) slammed the operation as aggression.

On October 14, the US Department of the Treasury announced that Washington had imposed sanctions on Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Energy Minister Fatih Donmez, as well as on the defense and energy ministries. "The Turkish Government’s actions are endangering innocent civilians, and destabilizing the region, including undermining the campaign to defeat ISIS [the Islamic State terror group outlawed in Russia — TASS]," the Department of the Treasury said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that US troops had left their two bases in Syria, heading towards the Iraqi border.