France, Germany halt arms exports to Turkey amid offensive against Kurds in Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – France and Germany have both suspended arms exports to Turkey amid an ongoing military offensive against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria.

The French announcement was made in a joint statement by the country’s defense and foreign ministries.

The statement said France had suspended all intended exports of “war material” to Turkey, AFP reported.

“France has decided to suspend any export of war material to Turkey that could be used for Turkey’s offensive. This decision goes into effect immediately,” it read.

Germany also released a statement saying it would halt its arms exports to Turkey. Berlin has been one of Ankara’s chief arms suppliers.

Both France and Germany warned Turkey that its ongoing offensive could lead to a serious humanitarian catastrophe.

In a recent interview with Kurdistan 24, a Kurdish German lawmaker in the European Union called for an end to European arms exports to Turkey and said the EU must “accept Rojava as a self-administration,” referring to the Kurdish majority northeast.

Read More: Kurdish MEP calls for end to European arms exports to Turkey

Turkey’s offensive “has to be stopped now,” Özlem Alev Demirel of Germany’s The Left party told Kurdistan 24.

“The European Union and other countries in the world have to say no to this war.”

Turkish warplanes and artillery began shelling Syria’s predominantly Kurdish northeastern town of Serekaniye on Wednesday in an offensive Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called “Operation Peace Spring.”

Dozens are known to have been killed or wounded, and the number of civilians displaced from border towns to areas southward has reached 190,000, according to the Syria-based Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC).  

Turkey resumed its air raids against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sunday at approximately 8 a.m. local time.

The Turkish offensive is now in its fifth day amid mounting international pressure.