Wider Black Sea area, deeply divided on the missile attacks in Syria
The countries from Wider Black Sea area (especially the riparian countries) have expressed its official position on the attacks in Syria organized by the United States, France and the United Kingdom. These attacks confirmed the current geopolitical failures in the Wider Black Sea area.
The main official positions of the countries in the region:
Romania: President Klaus Iohannis: "Romania further condemns the use of chemical weapons in Syria, which is beyond any justification. We stand in solidarity with the actions of our strategic partners". The Romanian Government „reiterates, in the strongest terms, the use of the chemical attack of April 7, 2018, with civilian casualties. Romania supports and agrees with the firm response of the United States, Great Britain and France to Syria as a result of the chemical attack and reaffirms its strong support for any international community effort to end the conflict in Syria”. MFA Romania: „We condemn in the strongest terms the use of chemical weapons in Syria; it is an unacceptable act in any circumstances. We support the joint action of our strategic partners over the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians”.
MFA Bulgaria: „Bulgaria has repeatedly expressed a strong irreconcilability with the use of chemical weapons. We support the efforts of the international community, which we are also part of, for achieving peace and finding a political solution in Syria”.
MFA Turkey: Press Release Regarding the Military Operation Against Certain Points in Syria by the US, the UK and France (No: 105 / 14 April 2018): „Turkey considers the operation carried out early this morning by the United States, United Kingdom and France to be an appropriate response to the chemical attack which caused the deaths of many civilians in Douma on 7 April. We welcome this operation which has eased humanity’s conscience in the face of the attack in Douma, largely suspected to have been carried out by the regime. Attacks with weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, that indiscriminately target civilians constitute crimes against humanity. The Syrian regime, which has been tyrannizing its own people for more than seven years, be it with conventional or chemical weapons, has a proven track record of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The conscience of the international community carries no doubt to that effect. Turkey believes that it is of critical importance that such crimes do not go unpunished and that accountability is ensured in order to prevent the recurrence of similar crimes. In light of this experience, it is essential for the international community, in particular the members of the UN Security Council, to agree upon joint steps to ensure that the use of chemical weapons does not go unpunished”.
MFA Georgia: „Missile strikes by US, UK, France on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syria is an appropriate & needed response to Syria Chemical Attack against civilian population. Use of chemical weapons is unacceptable & those responsible must be held accountable”.
MFA Ukraine - Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the use of chemical weapons in Syria: „ Ukraine expresses solidarity with the United States, Great Britain and France and supports actions of the allies in response to the use of chemical weapons by Damascus in the Syrian city of Douma, which has led to numerous civilian casualties. It is worth to note the purposeful support of the crimes of Damascus by the Kremlin regime which by its actions, including in the UN Security Council, consistently makes it impossible to resolve the conflict in Syria according to the UN Charter. Ukraine reiterates its firm stance that the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances is a flagrant violation of international law and those responsible for such actions must be held accountable”.
MFA Russia: Statement by the Foreign Ministry / 14-04-2018: „On April 14, the United States, together with Great Britain and France, committed an act of aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic by launching a massive missile attack on its territory in gross violation of the UN Charter. Over one hundred air- and sea-launched cruise missiles were fired on a number of targets in Syria. The facilities attacked include a research centre in the Syrian capital, the headquarters of the Republican Guard, an air defence base, several military airfields and army storage facilities. Considerable damage has been done to civilian infrastructure. Media reports indicate there are victims; their number is being verified. According to the Russian Embassy in Damascus, there are no Russian nationals among the victims. The Russian Defence Ministry said none of the launched cruise missiles entered the area of responsibility of the Russian air-defence units deployed in Syria. This step was designed to intimidate and was taken under an absolutely contrived pretext of the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government in the city of Douma on April 7. The facts presented by the Syrian government and the Russian side showing that the incident had been deliberately and cynically staged have been ignored. The missile strikes were made just as inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were about to head to Douma with a mission to find out the truth. There is every reason to believe that the objective behind the attack on Syria was to obstruct the work of the OPCW inspectors. We resolutely condemn the armed aggression against Syria. This is a gross violation of fundamental principles of international law, an absolutely groundless assault on the sovereignty of a country which is a full member of the United Nations Organisation and which has been resolutely fighting terrorism on its territory for many years. Russia demands an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and calls on its members and all responsible countries of the international community to give an adequate assessment of the event and to exclude the possibility of a repetition of rash aggressive acts that put peace and security at stake in the region, which has already been heavily destabilised due to criminal reckless acts perpetrated in Iraq and Libya by the United States and its allies. There is no escaping the fact that the aggression has taken place at a time when the Syrian troops are pressing on with their successful assault on ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups. To all appearances, the United States and its allies want to give radicals and extremists a chance to catch their breath and restore their ranks in order to prolong bloodshed on the Syrian territory and thus hinder political settlement. It is becoming absolutely clear that those in the West who hide behind humanitarian rhetoric and try to justify their military presence in Syria by the need to finish off jihadists, in reality share their goals and are working towards breaking up the country. This conclusion is proved out by the categorical refusal of the USA and its allies to assist in the restoration of the Syrian regions liberated by the government army. Last of all, this act of aggression dealt a powerful blow to the efforts to invigorate the Geneva political process on the basis of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which unanimously reaffirmed the commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. We urge to immediately put an end to this highly dangerous line of the Western leaders to break down all the agreements on ways to reach Syria settlement”.
