ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s foreign ministry on Friday rejected what it described as “baseless allegations” in a recent European Parliament resolution on Syria, saying the text ignores Ankara’s role in the country’s recovery and stabilization.
“We categorically reject the baseless allegations targeting Türkiye in certain resolutions adopted by the European Parliament,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the resolution “disregards Türkiye’s role in Syria’s recovery and stabilization.”
On Thursday, European Union lawmakers overwhelmingly backed a resolution condemning violence against civilians in northeast Syria (Rojava) and urging regional actors, particularly Turkey, to refrain from breaching the ceasefire. The resolution also conditioned future funding for Damascus on “tangible and verifiable progress” on civilian protection, respect for ceasefire arrangements, human rights, and the protection of all components of Syrian society.
The vote followed parliamentary debates this week in which lawmakers voiced alarm over a worsening humanitarian situation and allegations of serious human rights abuses after weeks of fighting involving Syrian forces in Kurdish-held areas.
Responding to the vote, the Turkish foreign ministry said it “advises the European Parliament to exert greater effort to understand the realities on the ground and the aspirations of Syria and the Syrian people, rather than adopting misguided and ill-intentioned resolutions.”
Ankara is a key ally of Syria’s new leadership.
After weeks of clashes in January between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and interim Syrian government forces, an internationally brokered ceasefire was reached late in the month. Despite the agreement, the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane remains under siege amid a broader humanitarian crisis across Rojava that has displaced an estimated 170,000 people.
The European Parliament also adopted a separate resolution condemning Turkey’s alleged “harassment of foreign journalists and foreign Christians under national security pretexts.”
Ankara rejected those claims as well, saying allegations related to freedom of expression and religion “contradict the facts,” and stressing that “no foreign institution, including the European Parliament, can interfere in judicial proceedings conducted in our country.”
“These resolutions also do not bode well for the spirit of efforts to enhance Türkiye-EU relations,” the statement said, calling on the European Parliament to take “constructive steps” rather than attempting to interfere in Turkey’s internal affairs.