AN ANALYSIS OF EUROPEAN ACTORS POLICIES TOWARDS OPERATION PEACE SPRING

There were many reactions from European actors to Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring (OPS), which was launched on October 9, 2019, in order to create a safe zone by cleansing the north of Syria from terrorist elements, facilitate the return of refugees, prevent DAESH activities in the region, and restrict the PKK/YPG’s movements. These reactions mostly include claims that Turkey’s operation violates international law, that the YPG will be weakened in the fight against DAESH, that the return of Foreign Terrorist Fighters to their countries of origin will cause political, legal and social problems in Europe, and that it will also lead to a new wave of migration to Europe. In this article, Operation Peace Spring is evaluated within the scope of international law and the principle of “self-defense” of Article 51 of the UN Charter. Furthermore, the policies of the EU and the leading actors of the EU, i.e., Germany, France and England towards Operation Peace Spring are examined.