EU’s Tusk warns Ankara’s actions in Syria may lead to humanitarian catastrophe

European Council President Donald Tusk said on Friday Ankara must understand the EU’s concerns that Turkey’s actions in Syria may lead to a humanitarian crisis.

“We will never accept that refugees are weaponized and used to blackmail us. President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s threats of yesterday are totally out of place,” Reuters quoted Tusk as saying in Nicosia.

Turkey’s security concerns should be addressed through political and diplomatic means, Tusk said. “A military intervention will only make matters worse. Instead of creating stability, it will create even more instability in the whole region, exacerbate civilian suffering, cause further displacement.”

Turkey is formally aspiring to join the EU despite the bloc’s mounting criticism of Ankara’s human rights record.