"I have asked the NATO secretary general to hold discussions within the framework of NATO on the situation in Syria and in the north of the country," the minister said in a statement disseminated by the ministry.
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According to him, "the chances for political negotiations on peace and stability in Syria exist," they should not be "stopped by an armed confrontation." "I have repeatedly made this clear to the Turkish government," Gabriel added.
On Saturday, the Turkish Armed Forces launched an operation against Kurdish forces in Syria's Afrin. Damascus has strongly condemned Ankara's actions, with the Syrian Foreign Ministry calling them a violation of the country's sovereignty.
Turkey, on January 20, launched an operation against Kurdish forces in Syria's Afrin, where about 1.5 million Syrian Kurds live. As one of the tasks of the operation, Ankara called the creation of a 30-kilometer security zone in the north of Syria. The United States earlier said that they understand Turkey's concern over the terrorist threat, but urge it for restraint. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan discussed this issue in a telephone conversation.
