Right to self-defence

With reference to the news item titled “Turkish army thrusts deeper into Syria; 35 villagers killed”, (The Jordan Times, August 29, 2016), I would like to bring the following to the attention of the Jordanian public.

The main objective of  “Operation Euphrates”, which has been conducted in coordination with the international coalition, is to combat Daesh and other terrorist groups in Jarablus and its vicinity in order to eliminate all threats to Turkey’s national security.

This operation will also help protect the territorial integrity and unity of Syria.

The Turkish armed forces have taken all necessary measures to avoid collateral damage and prevent any harm to the civilian population living in the area. Therefore, the allegations that the civilians were targeted are completely unfounded.

Furthermore, the Turkish Red Crescent teams have begun delivering humanitarian assistance and providing food to the people in need in the area of operation.

Turkey is determined not to tolerate any terrorist activity against its national interests in the border region and will continue to act in accordance with its right to self-defence as outlined in Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Sedat Önal,
Ambassador of Turkey,
Amman