Turkey’s alleged systemic war crimes in North and East Syria have been brought to the fore in the Norwegian parliament. Red Party MP Seher Aydar submitted a formal inquiry on 13 October to Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, asking for Norway’s position on Turkey’s intensified military actions in North and East Syria. The response of the foreign minister, dated 20 October, offers insight into the official Norwegian stance on the reported war crimes committed in the embattled regions.
Aydar emphasised the severe repercussions of Turkey’s military endeavours on the Kurdish populace and other minority groups inhabiting the areas under siege. She pointed out that the bombings have struck civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, hydropower plants, oil fields and electricity power plants, with calamitous results. Such actions, as noted by Aydar, starkly contravene the Geneva Conventions, which unequivocally categorise attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure as war crimes. She sought elucidation on Norway’s perspective on these alleged systemic war crimes and inquired about the measures being initiated to halt attacks targeting civilians.
Responding to Aydar’s grave concerns, Minister Eide expressed disquiet over the Turkish airstrikes in Syria, accentuating the regrettable loss of civilian lives and damage to civilian infrastructure. While acknowledging Turkey’s narrative, which linked these military actions to the security exigencies following the attack in Ankara on 1 October, responsibility for which was claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Eide stressed the expectation that Turkey would adhere to the stipulations set forth in international law and ensure the safety and protection of civilian lives and assets.