US Department of State: Turkey should stick to the commitment on halting offensive operations in northeast Syria

Photo: TAF's offensive into Ras al-Ayn (Serekaniye)10 October 2019/Wikipedia

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Ned Price, the Spokesperson for the US Department of State, answered the questions of reporters at his press briefing yesterday (Jun 7).

He was asked a question about the US position regarding a possible offensive by Turkey into northeast Syria.

The Spokesperson briefly said the following:

"So we are deeply concerned about reports and discussions of potential increased military activity in northern Syria, and in particular its impact on the civilian population there. We condemn any escalation. We support the maintenance of the current ceasefire lines. We believe it's crucial for all sides to maintain and to respect the ceasefire zones, to – that serve to enhance stability in Syria and to work towards a political solution to this conflict."

"We expect Turkey to live up to the commitments that it made in October of 2019 including the commitment to halt offensive operations in northeast Syria."

Price: Discussions with Turkey on F-16s continue

Regarding the question on the discussions on the sale of F-16s to Turkey, Price said:

"Turkey has made no secret of its desire to invest more heavily in the F-16 program. That's not something that we're in a position to speak to publicly."

"We condemn any escalation in north-east Syria"

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander in chief Mazloum Abdi stated that "in the event of a Turkish invasion into northeast Syria, they will allow Assad regime's air defense to protect the region's skies".

When Price was asked about his opinions on Abdi's comments, he stated the following:

"We have emphasized that we remain deeply concerned about discussions of potential increased military activity in northern Syria, and in particular, its potential impact on the civilian population there. We have continued to call for the maintenance of existing ceasefire lines. We would condemn any escalation beyond those lines. It's crucial for all sides to maintain and to respect those ceasefire zones to enhance stability in Syria and to work towards a political solution to the conflict."

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"We've made very clear to Turkey our concerns with any renewed offensive"

During the press briefing, a journalist drew attention to the previous offensives of Turkey into Syria and noted that the US was calling on Turkey the same things that it is calling Turkey today.

Price was also asked whether he is optimistic that this time there will be anything different.

The spokesperson replied to the question by stating that "they've made very clear to Turkey their concerns with any renewed offensive."

"I want to be optimistic about it. I don't want to be pessimistic about it. What we can do is to make very clear where the United States of America stands on this. This is something that we have had an opportunity to discuss, including at senior levels, with our Turkish allies. We've made very clear to them our concerns with any renewed offensive in northern Syria."

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(AEK/TB)