"Syria: Ghouta, Idlib Afrin — France has requested an urgent meeting of UN Security Council," Le Drian said on Twitter after talks with his Turkish counterpart.
#Syrie: Ghouta, Idlib, Afrin — la France demande une réunion urgente du Conseil de Sécurité des Nations Unies. Entretien ce matin avec mon homologue Turc.
— Jean-Yves Le Drian (@JY_LeDrian) 21 января 2018 г.
The minister further continued, saying that the parties should stop the fire immediately and provide a complete humanitarian access.
#Syrie: cessez-le-feu partout, accès humanitaire inconditionnel.
— Jean-Yves Le Drian (@JY_LeDrian) 21 января 2018 г.
Following the talks between Jean-Yves Le Drian and Mevlut Cavusoglu, France issued a statement, calling on Turkey to exercise restraint against the backdrop of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria.
"France is attentive to the security of Turkey, its territory and borders. Paris calls on the Turkish authorities to exercise restraint in the complicated context of a humanitarian situation in several Syrian regions in view of military activities of Damascus and its allies," the statement said.
Earlier today, NTV broadcaster reported that Turkish tanks entered Syrian Afrin, backing the offensive of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) armed opposition group on the positions of Kurdish militia.
A spokesman for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Afrin, however, denied Turkish claims that its forces had entered the district.