17th October, 2019
Egypt on Thursday welcomed U.S. President, Donald Trump’s preliminary sanctions on Turkey following Ankara’s military incursion in North-eastern Syria.
“Egypt welcomes U.S. President, Donald Trump’s position on those developments, representing America’s rejection of the ongoing Turkish attacks on Syrian land and the imposition of preliminary sanctions on the Turkish regime,’’ the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The ministry affirmed its deep resentment and concern over the ongoing Turkish aggression against Syria, which it described as violations of the rules of international law and the consequent serious repercussions on the humanitarian situation.
It noted that the Turkish action has led to the loss of lives as well as the displacement of thousands of Syrians while having negative effects on the political settlement process in Syria.
“The statement issued by the European Union (EU) reflects its clear position and confirms the rejection and condemnation of those Turkish attacks,’’ the ministry added.
Referring to the joint statement issued by EU foreign ministers following a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday that condemned Turkey’s military intervention in Syria.
Trump on Monday demanded Turkey stop its military incursion in Syria and imposed new sanctions on the NATO ally, which regards Syrian Kurdish forces as terrorists and separatists linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey.
The Turkish operation, which started on Oct. 9, came after Trump pulled U.S. forces out from the Kurdish-controlled areas in north-eastern Syria.