The Italian government's overtly critical stance on the Turkish military operation in northeastern Syria has damaged the relations between two countries, Turkey's ambassador to Italy, Murat Salim Esenli, said on Friday.
ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2019) The Italian government's overtly critical stance on the Turkish military operation in northeastern Syria has damaged the relations between two countries, Turkey's ambassador to Italy, Murat Salim Esenli, said on Friday.On Thursday, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio pledged to suspend future arms exports to Turkey and reconsider existing contracts. His decision was cheered on by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who asked for even stronger pressure to be put on Ankara. Earlier in the day, Conte welcomed the news about the five-day ceasefire between the Turkish military and Kurdish militia, but said his country still needed to review the details of the agreement, including those pertaining to the creation of a safe zone.
"I hope that it could be quickly remedied, otherwise the consequences can be quite negative," the ambassador told journalists.
He described Italy's position as "extremely unfair."
"We want the Italian government to understand that Turkey's real intentions, which are very transparent. We have informed our partners in detail," Esenli said.
Ankara launched an offensive in northern Syria last week in a bid to rid the border area of Kurdish militia and in its stead establish a safe zone where the millions of Syrian refugees currently residing in Turkey could be relocated.
The international community has voiced concerns that the incursion could worsen the humanitarian situation in the region and hamper efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.
