Austrian Green MP Eva Ernst called for a robust stance from the European Union against the Turkish attacks on Kurdish-led North and East Syria, during a meeting with a delegation from the region in Vienna on Thursday.
The meeting addressed Turkey’s intensified attacks on civilian infrastructure, which have left more than a million people without electricity and destroyed the region’s sole gas facility, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) delegation, including representatives Abdul Karim Omar, Mazkin Ahmed and Ari Malan, met with Eva Ernst in Vienna’s Parliament building, and focused on the severe challenges facing Syria’s northern and eastern regions.
The meeting addressed the political, humanitarian, economic and security issues in the area, aggravated by Turkey’s intensified attacks amidst the Gaza conflict. The delegation reported significant destruction to civilian infrastructure, leaving over a million people without electricity and severe shortages in household gas due to the targeting of essential facilities.
Ernst condemned Turkey’s military actions as violations of international law, highlighting the contradiction with Turkey’s NATO membership and its implications for Austria. She criticised the international community’s inaction on repatriating the Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, emphasising the dangers of ongoing radicalisation and the activation of sleeper cells.
Calling for a robust EU stance, Ernst pressed for condemnation of Turkey’s actions and enhanced support for the Autonomous Administration to stabilise the region and address the humanitarian crisis. The discussions ended with a media briefing, where Ernst and the delegation illuminated the ongoing hardships in North and East Syria and the need for international intervention.
