4 Turkish political parties issue joint declaration condemning Assad strikes
AA Photo


Four major political parties at the Turkish parliament issued a joint statement on Friday, condemning the Assad regime’s airstrikes on Syria’s Idlib that killed 33 Turkish soldiers on Thursday.

Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Good Party (IP) signed the joint declaration following a special session at the parliament.

"As the political parties in the Turkish Grand National Assembly... we strongly and vehemently condemn this dastardly and atrocious attack," the parties said in a statement.

"We state that the solution (to the Syria crisis) should be through political means based on international law, in order to prevent the humanitarian crisis in the region," it added.

The Turkish army will successfully carry out the tasks assigned to it by the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the statement said.

The airstrike by Syrian regime forces that killed the Turkish soldiers in northwestern Idlib province marks the largest death toll for Turkey in a single day since it first intervened in Syria in 2016.

The deaths were a serious escalation in the direct conflict between Turkish and Russian-backed Assad regime forces that have been ongoing since early February. At least 54 Turkish troops have now been killed in Idlib since the start of February.