merrion street

Further to my statement on 9 October in relation to Turkey’s military action in Syria, officials in my Department met with the Turkish Ambassador to Ireland this afternoon. They reiterated Ireland’s deep concern at the unilateral military action by Turkey in north east Syria and emphasised our belief that renewed hostilities will further undermine stability and threaten progress achieved in the fight against Da’esh. 

They underlined that safety of all civilians, especially displaced and vulnerable communities, must be paramount and that any refugee returns to Syria must fully abide by humanitarian principles and be voluntary, dignified and safe. I call again on Turkey to cease unilateral military action in Syria and will be discussing the issue with other EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.