The President of the European Council has been closely following the situation in Syria and Turkey in cooperation with the European Commission.

He held a phone call with President Erdoğan today, in which he expressed his condolences over the loss of life of Turkish soldiers and his deep concern over the untold human suffering the ongoing fighting has caused in Idlib.

He called on all actors to deescalate and commit to a sustainable and long lasting ceasefire and a political solution in line with UNSC Resolutions.

Providing humanitarian aid and access to populations in need is a key priority; the EU is ready to further strengthen its support.

Over the last days President Michel has also been in close contact with PM Mitsotakis and PM Borissov to follow the migration situation.

The EU is actively engaged to uphold the EU-Turkey Statement and to support Greece and Bulgaria to protect the EU’s external borders.