THE World Peace Council has denounced Turkey’s third invasion of Syria since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.

“This aggression in the north-east part of Syria comes as a continuation of the previous aggressions in the north-west and as part of the expansionist plans of the Turkish regime, with Turkey’s security a pretext,” the council declared.

And it accused the United States and its allies of “full complicity” with the invasion, noting that the Syrian people had been “suffering for eight years from an unprecedented and well-orchestrated imperialist aggression, whereas the US, Nato, the EU, Turkey and their regional allies have harboured, financed, trained and instructed dozens of thousands of armed mercenaries for a violent regime change in Damascus.”

While the Turkish invasion has been criticised by many EU member states, Spain has come out in favour of it, and Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance recognised the Syrian Kurdish fighters whom Ankara is determined to crush as “a legitimate security concern,” even though it was they who defeated Isis in the region.

“The Turkish invasion and occupation of sovereign territory of Syria will create only new displacement and increase the flow of refugees,” the council warned.

“The claim of Turkey to create a ‘safe zone’ along its borders with Syria is hypocritical and cannot hide its intentions to create a huge area controlled by Turkey, changing also the demographic character of the area.

“The real threat to peace and stability derives from the imperialist plans to control the energy resources, pipelines and spheres of influence with willing regimes in the Middle East.”