MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Turkish military operation in northeast Syria and its consequences
21.10.2019 - (2019/2886(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Lars Patrick Berg, Jörg Meuthen, Bernhard Zimniok
on behalf of the ID Group
B9‑0126/2019
European Parliament resolution on the Turkish military operation in northeast Syria and its consequences
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations of 1945, in particular Article 2 thereof,
– having regard to the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (fourth Geneva Convention) of 12 August 1949, which Turkey ratified in 1954 and which also forms part of customary international law,
– having regard to the 1993 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention or CWC), in particular Article 1(1)(b) thereof,
– having regard to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, in particular Article 1 thereof,
– having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 390/2001 of 26 February 2001 on assistance to Turkey in the framework of the pre-accession strategy, and in particular on the establishment of an Accession Partnership[1],
– having regard to Council Decision of 18 February 2008 on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with the Republic of Turkey[2],
– having regard to the EU-Turkey joint action plan of 29 November 2015 and the EU‑Turkey statement of 18 March 2016,
– having regard to its resolution of 14 April 2016 on the 2015 report on Turkey[3],
– having regard to its resolution of 13 March 2019 on the 2018 Commission Report on Turkey[4],
– having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council on enlargement and the stabilisation and association process of 18 June 2019,
– having regard to the declaration by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on behalf of the European Union of 9 October 2019,
– having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council on northeast Syria of 14 October 2019,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 9 October 2019 the Turkish government launched a military attack against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria;
B. whereas this military operation has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law and in particular of the fourth Geneva Convention;
C. whereas on 12 October 2019 Turkish-backed forces ambushed and executed Hevrin Khalaf, the Secretary-General of the Future Syria Party, and her driver;
D. whereas on 15 October 2019 Turkey allegedly used phosphorus bombs in its attack on the city of Sere Kaniye; whereas the use of phosphorus bombs is illegal under the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention;
E. whereas hundreds of IS/Daesh supporters have escaped from detention camps in northeast Syria, which poses a serious security risk not only in the region but also for the European Union;
F. whereas Turkey’s actions in northern Syria undermine the fight against Islamic extremism and encourage a reconstituted caliphate;
G. whereas on 17 October 2019 the US and Turkey negotiated a 5‑day long ceasefire;
H. whereas Turkey’s actions in northeast Syria constitute a threat to international peace and security as defined in Chapter VII of the UN Charter and are in violation of Article 1 of the North Atlantic Treaty;
I. whereas Turkey, as a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), is undermining the NATO alliance and jeopardising the security of Europe through its actions in Syria;
J. whereas President Erdoğan has once again threatened to open the gates for migrants to Europe;
K. whereas Turkey is illegally exploring for natural gas off the coast of Cyprus; whereas the Turkish government is making territorial claims against Cyprus and Greece in violation of the 1923 Lausanne Treaty;
1. Notes that each side has accused the other of violating the ceasefire; further notes that Turkey has continued to launch attacks on Syrian villages and that the terms of the ceasefire negotiated by the US and Turkey are therefore not being respected;
2. Condemns unconditionally Turkey’s offensive in northeast Syria, and calls on Turkey to cease immediately and unconditionally all military attacks in that area, in particular military attacks that fail to distinguish between military and civilian targets in accordance with international humanitarian law;
3. Welcomes the decision of the Foreign Affairs Council of 14 October 2019 to suspend weapons exports to Turkey; calls on all EU Member States to implement a formal EU‑wide arms embargo on all weapon exports to Turkey and to institute individual sanctions against Turkish President Erdoğan;
4. Appeals to Member States to institute a ban on the export to Turkey of all weapons, ammunition, military material and goods of any kind that can be used to wage war;
5. Welcomes the decision of the Foreign Affairs Council of 14 October 2019 to compile a list of sanctions in view of Turkey’s drilling activities off the coast of Cyprus; calls on Turkey to immediately cease all drilling activities in the area;
6. Condemns President Erdoğan’s threat to open the borders to allow more than 3.5 million migrants to flood into Europe;
7. Calls on the EU Member States to curb illegal migration, to defend the EU’s external borders and, if necessary, to protect the internal borders in order to safeguard the internal security of the Union and its Member States;
8. Calls on EU Member States to jointly prepare and implement measures to ensure the security, territorial integrity and independence of all Member States bordering Turkey;
9. Calls on the Commission and the Council to terminate all funding to Turkey relating to both the pre-accession process and the EU-Turkey action plan on migration;
10. Calls on the Commission and the Council to formally and finally terminate all negotiations regarding the accession of Turkey to the EU, as it is not a European country and does not act in accordance with European values, particularly those aimed at preserving a peaceful Europe, and should therefore not become a member of the European Union;
11. Proposes that the North Atlantic Council should henceforth exclude Turkey from its meetings until it ceases to violate the provisions of the North Atlantic Treaty;
12. Calls on all parties to the conflict to negotiate a peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with the UN Charter and the North Atlantic Treaty;
13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Turkey, the North Atlantic Council, and the Government of the Republic of Turkey.
- [1] OJ L 58, 28.02.2001 p. 1.
- [2] OJ L 51, 26.2.2008, p. 4.
- [3] OJ C 58, 15.2.2018, p. 164.
- [4] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2019)0200.