Turkey's National Security Council makes no mention of a new Syria offensive

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After a two-hour meeting yesterday (May 26), the National Security Council made on mention of a new ground offensive in northern Syria.

President and Justice and DEvelopment Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who chaired the meeting, previously signaled a new military incursion and said the issue would be discussed in detail at the NSC meeting.

Erdoğan's statements were followed by reports in the pro-government media containing maps and schemes as to where the operation would be carried out.

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After yesterday's meeting, a short statement appeasing the "neighbors," greeting the "allies" and inviting the US and Europe to be "sensitive" was released.

It has been stated that the operations carried out or to be carried out on our southern borders do not target the territorial integrity of our neighbors and are a necessity of national security.

The countries that violate international law by supporting terrorism were called on to end this attitude and take into account Turkey's sensitivities about security.

Calls to the international community

Both the Damascus government and the administration in northern Syria have called on the international community to prevent a new offensive.

Sending a letter to the UN, the Foreign Ministry of Syria said, "What the Turkish regime is doing through its seeking to establish a so-called 'safe zone' on Syrian territory is an aggressive and a colonial activity."

Yesterday, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Turkey considers a "terrorist" group, released a stetement, calling on the international community and UN to "seriously deal with the rising threats and to intervene immediately."

Noting that the Erdoğan's announcement of a new incursion coincides with his plans to resettle a million people in the "safe zones" controlled by Turkey in Syria, the SDC said the proposed regions are home to Kurds, Syriacs, Yazidis, Armenians and Arabs.

Such an offensive would also endanger a political solution in Syria, it added.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched four major offensives into northern Syria — "Operation Euphrates Shield" in 2016, "Operation Olive Branch" in 2018, "Operation Peace Spring" in 2019, and "Operation Spring Shield" in 2020. (AEK/VK)