Dutch FM asks Turkish counterpart to stop Syria invasion

Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs called his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavusoglu on Monday to make clear that the Dutch government condemns Turkey's invasion of northeastern Syria, he said in a letter to parliament, NOS reports.

Blok asked Minister Çavusoglu​ to stop Turkish operations in the area and called his attention "to the need to monitor camps" where ISIS jihadists are detained. He also asked Çavusoglu​ to address the humanitarian need in the area.

On Friday the Dutch government already decided to no longer provide weapons to Turkey, in response to the invasion. As long as the Turkish invasion continues, the Netherlands will not authorize any arms exports ot the country. The European Union announced the same measure on Monday.

The invasion prompted protests against Turkey and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Amsterdam and The Hague over the weekend.