“On Monday, I will summon the Turkish ambassador. Also, I am to leave to address the situation in Syria with the whole EU. I am in favor of a diplomatic solution,” Minister Petříček said.
On Thursday, after a meeting of top constitutional officials at Prague Castle, the Minister said that the Czech Republic supported a joint EU response condemning the Turkish military operation in northeast Syria. He also expressed concern about the impact of the offensive on civilians.
Last Wednesday, Turkey had launched the operation at the Syrian border. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker then called on Ankara to halt the operation. France condemned the Turkish offensive and, together with Britain and other European countries, convened the UN Security Council, which failed to agree on a joint statement on the Turkish offensive on Thursday.
On Sunday, after a meeting of President Miloš Zeman´s expert team at Lány Chateau, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš again condemned the Turkish operation in Syria criticizing Europe for doing nothing but calls and condemnations.
Babiš himself endorsed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plan to create a “safe zone” in northern Syria in late September. After the Turkish invasion targeting the Kurds, he pointed out that the plan he discussed with Erdogan “never involved a military occupation of northeast Syria”.
