Belgium: Stoltenberg praises ceasefire agreement between US and Turkey

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M/S NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arriving at conference hall
W/S Stoltenberg and Pompeo
M/S Stoltenberg and Pompeo greeting audience
SOT, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General: "We discussed the situation in North East Syria and the joint statement, and I welcome that two NATO allies, the United States and Turkey, have agreed on a way forward. We all know and understand that the situation in North East Syria is fragile and difficult, but I believe that this statement can help to deescalate the situation and therefore help to improve the situation on the ground."
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M/S Stoltenberg and Pompeo
SOT, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General: "I visited Turkey on Friday and I stated that Turkey is on the frontline, the forefront of a very volatile region. No other ally has suffered more terrorist attacks, they host millions of refugees, and Turkey has legitimate security concerns. At the same time I stated my deep concern for the danger of escalating the situation, for more human suffering and also for an increased migrant and refugee flows."
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M/S Stoltenberg giving floor to Pompeo
SOT, Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State: "We are driven by UN Security Council Resolution 2254 to make sure that we have the outcome that United States and frankly, most of the member nations at the UN have agreed, that's the right outcome to get the proper political resolution in broader Syria - not just in the North East, but more broadly. I have to remember: prior to this administration taking office, over half a million people were killed in Syria, millions and millions of people displaced, all of this before President Trump took office. We see the burden that that's placed on our NATO ally Turkey with now some two or three or four million displaced persons inside of Turkey, that an enormous burden, Europe needs to provide.. to seriously consider how to respond to this threat, this challenge that's presented by migration. We are hopeful that what Vice President Pence achieved yesterday will be the beginning of leading to the resolution of all these greater challenges that are represented throughout Syria, and more broadly, the instability that creates in the Middle East."
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W/S Stoltenberg and Pompeo
SOT, Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State: "I think we made very clear the United States position that we oppose this Turkish incursion into North East Syria, that we didn't think this was the right approach that would yield the very results. We were cognizant, indeed we said in yesterday's statement that Turkey has valid security concerns along that border, but we didn't this this was the right way to approach it. We took seriously America's capacity to try and stop that incursion"
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M/S Stoltenberg and Pompeo shaking hands
W/S Stoltenberg and Pompeo leaving
SCRIPT
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a joint press statement in Brussels on Friday.
Stoltenberg praised the cooperation and ceasefire agreement reached between the United States and Turkey, and expressed hope in further progress: "I welcome that two NATO allies, the United States and Turkey, have agreed on a way forward. We all know and understand that the situation in North East Syria is fragile and difficult, but I believe that this statement can help to deescalate the situation and therefore to improve the situation on the ground."
Stoltenberg also emphasized that "no other ally has suffered more terrorist attacks, they host millions of refugees, and Turkey has legitimate security concerns."
Continuing on that note, Pompeo said spoke of the "burden" placed on Turkey due to the millions of refugees currently residing within the country, and said "Europe needs to provide, to seriously consider how to respond to this threat, this challenge that's presented by migration."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced on Thursday that Turkey's offensive in northern Syria would be paused for 120 hours to allow Kurdish forces to leave the area, after a round of talks between US Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey's military offensive, dubbed 'Operation Peace Spring,' began on October 9, days after the White House announced a withdrawal of US troops from the area. Ankara says the aim of the offensive is to create a 'safe zone' cleared of Kurdish groups.