Paris – French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned Turkey about its military offensive against Kurdish militias in northern Syria which he said should not be “an invasion operation.”
“If it turns out that this operation takes a turn other than to fight a potential terrorist threat to the Turkish border and becomes an invasion operation, this would become a real problem for us.
“We cannot have security built on the ground without respect for Syrian sovereignty against an enemy who is no longer Daesh,’’ he added.
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched operation Olive Branch against Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG) militias in Afri, northern Syria.
According to Turkish President Recep Erdogan, the military offensive in the Kurdish-held region could be extended further east to the city of Manbij where U.S. Special Forces were stationed.
Ankara considers the group a terrorist organisation and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Macron, however, cautioned and restrained U.S., saying he would discuss the issue with his Turkish counterpart “in the coming days.’’ (Xinhua/NAN)