Finland strongly condemned the military offensive launched on Wednesday across the Syrian border against the Kurdish militias which control the north of the country.
Turkish army received the order to attack at 16:00 in local time (15:00 in central Europe) and their planes started bombing Kurdish targets.
At 19:00 in the evening, the High Representative of the European Union (EU) published a declaration calling upon Turkey to "cease the unilateral military action" and reaffirming that a sustainable solution to the Syrian conflict "cannot be achieved militarily".
Finland, the country holding the rotating Presidency of the EU, published a statement during the night to "firmly appeal for the cessation of hostilities". "There is no military solution to the Syrian conflict. Unilateral action may also jeopardise the progress achieved in the fight against ISIL", remarked the Finnish Government.
“Turkey's actions aggravate the already complex crisis in Syria. We are very concerned about the impacts of the measures on the humanitarian situation in Syria. Hostilities in the region may provoke further displacements. It is important to prepare for this at EU level, too,” Prime Minister Rinne says.
EU foreign ministers will convene for an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. At the meeting, Finland will call attention to Turkey's attack, its impact on refugees in the region, and the humanitarian needs of Syria.
“The Government will not grant new arms export licences to Turkey or other countries engaged in war,” the Prime Minister says.
