Brussels – Ankara: Europe and the Arabs – Agencies

Turkey, in a statement, accused the European Parliament of “unacceptable interference” in its internal affairs, rejecting resolutions it adopted calling on Ankara and other regional actors to refrain from violating the ceasefire in Syria, whether through military operations or support for armed groups. This was reported by the Brussels-based European news network Euronews.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry asserted in a statement on Friday that the European resolution concerning the “situation in northeastern Syria” ignores the pivotal role Ankara plays in enabling Syria’s recovery and strengthening its stability.

The ministry described the resolutions as “erroneous and biased,” calling on the European Parliament to “exert more effort to understand the reality on the ground and the aspirations of the Syrian people” instead of adopting positions that are not based on facts. On Thursday, members of the European Parliament condemned the violence perpetrated against civilians in northeastern Syria and urged regional actors—including Turkey—to respect the ceasefire and refrain from supporting any armed groups.

Turkish Response to the Accusations

Ankara also responded to another European Parliament resolution that included accusations of carrying out "targeted expulsions" against Christians and foreign journalists. The Turkish Foreign Ministry deemed these allegations "baseless," emphasizing that they "have no connection to reality."

The statement affirmed that "no foreign institution, including the European Parliament, has the right to interfere in ongoing judicial proceedings within Turkey," considering such resolutions to be "contrary to the spirit of efforts aimed at developing relations between Turkey and the European Union."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry called on the European Parliament to take "constructive steps" to support bilateral relations, instead of "being a tool for anti-Turkish endeavors." The statement concluded: "We call on the European Parliament to act responsibly and not to interfere in our internal affairs." In a related context, Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Ömer Çelik said on Thursday that the European Parliament's vote to suspend Ankara's accession talks with the bloc was a "violation of fundamental European values."

He added that Turkey "does not take this vote seriously." The European Parliament voted in favor of a non-binding measure calling for a symbolic suspension of negotiations that began 11 years ago, in response to what it described as Ankara's "disproportionate response" to the failed coup attempt in July 2016. Çelik criticized the European Parliament's tone toward Turkey, saying that the European institution "is losing touch with reality regarding our country," and called on it to "monitor its rhetoric when speaking about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan." On the ground in northern Syria, the Turkish-backed Syrian Interim Authority ended its military operations in northern Syria after reaching an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Under this agreement, Kurdish forces were integrated into the Syrian army, ending military tensions in the region and leading to the withdrawal of the SDF from large areas in the north and northeast of the country. This move had direct repercussions for Kurdish aspirations for autonomy.