Syria accuses Turkey of 'ethnic cleansing' in occupied lands

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

Turkey recently warned of the start of a new military campaign to establish a 30-kilometer 'safe zone' in northern Syria

The Syrian ministry of foreign affairs has strongly condemned Turkey’s military occupation of its northern territories, calling it a “shameful act of aggression” that amounts to “ethnic and geographical cleansing.”

“The Syrian Arab Republic rejects the military hostilities launched by the occupying Turkish forces for several days on areas and villages in the northeast of Syria … which have led to many civilian casualties, massive damage to public and private properties and infrastructure, and the displacement of dozens of families from their homes and villages there,” the statement provided to SANA news agency on 30 May reads.

The statement goes on to add that “what the Turkish regime is doing to establish a so-called safe zone on Syrian territory is a shameful act of aggression, and is part of the ethnic and geographical cleansing policy of the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the occupied Syrian territories, and it [constitutes] crimes against humanity.”

Last week, the Turkish president announced his intentions to launch a new military campaign against US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Erdogan said the operation will resume efforts to establish a 30-kilometer long ‘safe zone’ along Turkey’s southern borders.

This was followed by several attacks on villages in Syria’s northern region, using heavy artillery and airstrikes targeting Kurdish militias, including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Damascus has condemned Erdogan’s plan to repatriate one million Syrian refugees to so-called ‘safe zones’ on the border between the two countries, saying that “the main objective [of this plan] is colonialism” and the implementation of “terrorist plans directed against the Syrian people.”

Amid this escalation, Russia has begun targeting Turkish-backed rebels in northern Syria for the first time since the start of their military operation in the country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also reaffirmed his country’s support for the government in Damascus.

“The existence of Russian forces in Syria is in full compliance with UN principles and its charter, and the forces perform duties outlined in Resolution 2254,” Lavrov told RT during an interview on 26 May.

Lavrov went on to say that the solution to the war in Syria will only be achieved by respecting the country’s sovereignty.