On November 29, 2022, Members of the European Parliament wrote a letter addressed to the President of the European Commission (Ursula Von Der Leyen) and the Vice President of the Commission/High Representative (Josep Borrell). In this letter, the MP’s raised their serious concern about the latest attacks of Iran and Turkey against Kurdish areas in Syria and Iraq and the military crackdown of Iran on its Kurdish regions.
Summarized, the Members of the European Parliament call upon the Commission President and Vice President/High Representative, on behalf of the European Union:
- to speak on behalf of the European Union and to coordinate a strong a persistent diplomatic action with Member states, also within the United Nations and NATO, to clearly and publicly condemn Turkey and Iran attacks in Syria and Iraq and to urge the Turkish and Iranian authorities to immediately halt any cross-border military operation;
- to appeal the United Nations, the International Anti-EI Coalition, and our NATO partners to act to ensure that our Turkish ally behaves consistently with its international commitments and in accordance with International Law;
- to vehemently reject the politically motivated attempts to ban the third largest Democratic Party in Turkey (HDP) and urge the Turkish authorities to fulfil their International legal obligations and implement the decisions of the Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights condemning the prosecution of HDP mayors and politicians and demanding their release;
- to urge the Iranian authorities to immediately halt the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters and remind them that failure to halt the continued violations will result in intense and coordinated international diplomatic repercussions;
- to call for an United Nations investigation on the allegations concerning the use of chemical weapons by Turkish forces in Iraqi Kurdistan;
- to use all leverage and tools at our disposal to foster a climate of peace and dialogue in the region, making sure that the voices of Kurdish people are heard, their aspirations are responded to and they are granted the opportunity to decide their own future, and to clarify what initiatives the Commission intends to take in this regard.
Please find below the full letter including the list of MP’s and the political group to which they belong.
