EU members of UNSC regret Turkey's operation in Syria

The European Union (EU) members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday regretted Turkey's continued military operation in northeast Syria despite repeated calls for an end to Ankara's military adventure.

Belgium, Britain, France, Germany and Poland -- the EU members of the Security Council -- plus Estonia, the incoming EU member of the council, issued the joint statement after the Security Council held closed-door consultations on the situation in northeast Syria.

The statement recalled the conclusions of the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday, in which the EU and its member states condemned Turkey's unilateral military action in northeast Syria and urged Turkey to cease it.

"We deeply regret that Turkey has not responded yet to these repeated appeals from its allies," said the statement read out to reporters by Christoph Heusgen, the German UN ambassador, on behalf of the six countries.

"We do not believe Turkey's unilateral military action will resolve its underlying security concerns. Turkey's ongoing military action seriously undermines the stability and security of the whole region, resulting in more civilian suffering, displacement and the severe hindering of access to humanitarian assistance.

"It makes the prospects for the UN-led political process to achieve peace in Syria more difficult and opens new front lines that could further risk destabilizing the region," said the statement.

Wednesday's Security Council meeting was requested by the five EU members.