Estonian reactions to US, French, British strikes against Syrian forces
The allied attack on the Syrian army's infrastructure is an appropriate response to Syria's repeated use of chemical weapons, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on Saturday, though Defence Minister Jüri Luik (IRL) thinks a political solution is as unrealistic as it was before the strikes.
"Today's action by the USA, the UK, and France is a proper response to the repeated use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. The international community should be determined to stop the use of such weapons and act in unity by doing so," the ministry said on Twitter on Saturday.
The U.S., the UK, and France carried out joint strikes on Syrian targets on Saturday. The attacks were centered on three targets: a research facility and a warehouse near Damascus, and a chemical weapons storage facility near Homs.
Luik: Political solution no more likely than before attacks
The allied strikes against the Syrian regime were too constrained and specific to have a positive effect towards reaching a political solution, Defence Minister Jüri Luik said in an interview with ERR's radio news on Saturday.
"We are as far away from a political solution as we were before the bombing," Luik said. The attack was too constrained and specific to affect the political power relations in Syria and force President Bashar al-Assad to look for a serious political solution.
"The situation is of course tense, as any military action increases tensions and creates a complicated situation. On the other hand, I'm glad that the strike of the Americans, the British, and the French was quite proportional. It was well-calibrated, and a great effort was made to avoid any kinetic contact with the Russian forces," Luik said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement: No justification of such acts
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a Statement on Saturday that it reiterates its firm condemnation of the use of chemical weapons in any circumstance. There is no justification of committing such acts, the ministry wrote:
Estonia strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, most recently in Douma on April 7, 2018 and calls for those responsible to be brought to justice.
We regret that the United Nations Security Council has so far not been able to agree on how to stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
The action taken by the United States, the United Kingdom and France on April 14, 2018 was a proper and proportionate response to the repeated use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime against the Syrian people. The international community should be determined to act in unity in order to stop the use of such weapons.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms Estonia´s support for UN-led efforts to achieve a lasting political resolution to the Syrian conflict, consistent with UNSCR 2254 (2015) and the Geneva Communique (2012) and calls on all members of the UN Security Council to uphold their responsibilities in this regard.
Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS, ERR