Spain, a major arms exporter to Turkey, is joining France and Germany in halting sales of military material to Ankara over its offensive in northeastern Syria.
Spain’s Socialist government asked Turkey to “put an end to this military operation,” saying it “endangered regional stability,” increased the number of refugees and threatened Syria’s territorial integrity.
Turkish troops and Turkish-backed Syrian rebels gather outside the border town of Ras al-Ain on October 12, 2019, during their assault on Kurdish-held border towns in northeastern Syria. (Nazeer Al-khatib / AFP)
“In coordination with its European Union partners, Spain will deny new export licenses for military equipment that can be used in the operation in Syria,” a foreign ministry statement says.
“Turkey’s legitimate security concerns must be addressed and resolved by political and diplomatic means, not by military actions.”
Spain was Turkey’s fifth biggest arms supplier between 2008 and 2018 after the United States, South Korea, Germany and Italy, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
— AFP
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