Turkish offensives into north-eastern Syria 'may escalate regional tension' –Turkologist

Turkey's military offensives in north-eastern Syria may increase regional tension, escalating into a deeper crisis threatening the civilians, a Yerevan-based Turkologist said on Sunday, expressing his concerns over the situaiton of local Armenians.

In an interview with Tert.am, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies (National Academy of Armenia) Ruben Safrastyan warned of the severe humanitarian plight in districts heavily populated by Armenians. He cited the available UN reports highlighting civilains' deaths, noting that refugees' number is now increasing to thousands. ″The Turkish troops and their allies which, in point of fact, are the radical Syrian opposition, commit mass slaughters; hundreds are now reported killed. This kind of operation has a heavy humanitarian aftermath. There are available reports also on the evacuation of Armenian families,″ he noted.

Asked to comment on the estimated overall impact upon the Armenian community - especially in view of Azerbaijanis' plan to joun the Turkey-led military actions in Syria - Safrastyan said he sees real threats in case of both scenarios. ″Regardless of Azerbaijan's involvement in those processees, everything that is going on there poses a hazard to the local population, including the Armenians. I don't think Azerbaijan will be involved [in the military operations], but their involvement alone will not change anything, I think Armenia's strong-worded statement condemning the Turkish aggression is absolutely justified. It is also important for us to be ready to offer our aid to our compatriots to evacuate them from there, if necessary, to other regions across Syria or the Republic of Armenia,″ Safrastyan added.

Turky launched the offensives in Syria's northern regions on Wednesday October 9, with the miltiary subdivisions of the country's armed foces taking control over 20 cities and towns. Several world countries, including the EU member states, condemned the attack in subsequent statements, urging Turkey to end the military actions. Finland and Germany announced their decision to halt the weapons supply to the country. The Syrian Foreign Ministry, in turn, expressed a strong commitment to battle against the Turkish troops. 

Turkey cites the official justificiation of clearing the Syrian region of PKK self-defense groups (whom the country considers terrorists). President Recep Tayyip ErdoganIn said in a telephone conversation with US President Donald Donald Trump that the Turkish military is planning to go 30km deep from the border to create a buffer zone for 3-4 million Syrian refugees.