BERLIN, October 21. /TASS/. The Turkish military operation in Syria "contradicts international law", German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas told the ZDF TV channel on Sunday.
"Judging by what we know and what Turkey provides as legal justification, we cannot agree with that. We do not think that attacking Kurdish units is legitimate from the international law’s point of view," Maas commented on Turkish arguments for the operation. "If international law does not have a justification for such an intervention, then it contradicts the law in this case," he added.
"We also disagree with the Syrian refugees currently residing in Turkey being sent to northern Syria to that safe zone, possibly, against their will," the minister underlined. According to Maas, these problems need to be discussed with Turkey. "Because we are not going to pay money for the affairs we see as illegitimate," he stressed.
On October 9, Ankara launched a new military operation in northern Syria dubbed Peace Spring, which began with airstrikes on positions of Kurdish units. The objective is to create a buffer zone in northern Syria where Syrians refugees could return, Ankara claims. The buffer zone will also establish a security belt along the Turkish border. The Syrian SANA news agency branded the operation as aggression, while the international community condemned Ankara’s actions.
On October 17, the United States and Turkey reached an agreement to pause the Peace Spring operation. Turkey consented to a 120-hour ceasefire so that Kurdish units making up the coalition of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could leave the areas of the border security zone that Ankara is attempting to create.