Egypt says Turkish capture of Afrin an 'infringement on Syrian sovereignty'

Ahram Online , Monday 19 Mar 2018

Syria
A picture taken on March 19, 2018 shows a man looking at the damage in the Syrian Kurdish city of Afrin a day after Turkish-led forces entered the city (Photo: AFP)

Egypt condemned on Monday evening Turkey’s capture of the northern Syrian town of Afrin from Kurdish forces, affirming its rejection of any "infringement on Syrian sovereignty."

In an official statement, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid denounced the large-scale displacement of Syrian civilians, as well as the grave humanitarian threats posed by Turkey’s seizure of the Syrian city.

"Egypt considers the ongoing breach of Syrian sovereignty unacceptable," Abu Zeid said, adding that the Turkish move increases the complexity of the political scene as it undermines the efforts of political reconciliation and exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in the war torn country.

Abu Zeid affirmed Egypt's support for a political solution in Syria, which he said would preserve the unity of the Syrian state.

"Egypt calls on all regional and international parties to carry out their role in ensuring a commitment to supporting the political solution to the crisis and prevent a worsening of the humanitarian and security situation," the statement said.

The statement by Egypt comes one day after Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition forces seized Afrin from Kurdish forces, nearly two months after the launch of an extensive operation.

Syria has described the move as "illegal invasion,” while Turkey has denied that it is invading or occupying Syrian land, saying it is only removing "terrorists" from the border area.

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