NATO ally Norway suspends new arms exports to Turkey

NATO ally Norway suspends new arms exports to Turkey
October 10, 2019, 5:03 pm

A military personnel stands guard on top of the roof during the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit ceremony at the NATO headquarters, in Brussels. (AFP)

Norway, a NATO ally of Turkey, announced Thursday it was suspending all new arms exports to the country after Ankara launched a military offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

“Given that the situation is complex and changing quickly, the foreign ministry as a precautionary measure will not handle any new demands for exports of defense material or material for multiple uses... to Turkey,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said in an email sent to AFP.

She added that the ministry would also review all licenses for arms exportation that have already been issued.

Syria’s Kurds, who were the West’s allies in the fight against ISIS, were battling Thursday to hold off a Turkish invasion as thousands of civilians fled air strikes and shelling that deepened fears of a humanitarian crisis and raised international alarm.

Finland, which is not a member of the NATO alliance, announced on Wednesday the suspension of all new arms exports to Turkey or any other country involved in the fighting.

Turkish offensive will not go beyond 30 km into Syria Six people killed, 70 wounded in SDF shelling of Turkish border towns