Bashar Al-Jaafari: West’s Anti-Syria Unilateral Measures are Economic Terrorism

By Staff, SANA

Head of the delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic to Astana 12 talks Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari noted that Turkey has not upheld its obligations regarding removing the terrorist organizations from Idlib province, adding that it continues to support Jabhat al-Nusra which controls most of the province.

During a press conference at the conclusion of the talks in Nur Sultan on Friday, al-Jaafari said that the final statement of Astana 12 round included positive points, some of which discussed for the first time, especially regarding the rejection of declaration of the US administration on the occupied Syrian Golan.

“There is terrorism in Idlib, which is recognized by everyone, including those who attended the Astana meetings, even the Turkish delegation, because that delegation admits that 85% of terrorists in Idlib are from Jabhat al-Nusra, and everyone knows that the Turkish regime supports this terror organization and other groups affiliated to it in Idlib,” he stressed.

Al-Jaafari further affirmed that the Turkish side should ensure the separation of terrorist groups from “moderate armed groups” and remove the terrorist organizations from Idlib.

Meanwhile, al-Jaafari added that the Sochi agreement stipulates for the Turkish side to withdraw terrorist groups to the west by 15-20 km in order to reopen the Aleppo-Idlib-Damascus highway and clear that area of terrorists, but Turkey has not implemented this.

The Syrian diplomat said that all the unilateral coercive economic measures by the United States and the European Union against Syria are illegal because they were not issued by the UN Security Council, considering those measures as an economic terrorism added to the diplomatic and political terrorism carried out by these countries.

He said that the dilemma in the Astana talks is represented by the lack of seriousness of the Turkish side in fulfilling its pledges and commitments.

Relatively, al-Jaafari reiterated that the presence of American, French, British, and Turkish forces on the Syrian territory without the Syrian government’s request is illegal and they must leave Syria immediately.

He stressed that Turkey now occupies about 6,000 square kilometers of Syrian territory in the north of the country, including Efrin, Jarablus, and other towns, not to mention Idlib, and is now constructing a 70-km-long wall to separate Manbij from Aleppo and imposing Turkish language in Syrian school, which makes Turkey’s occupation of Syrian territory four times worse than the ‘Israeli’ occupation in terms of area.