President Erdogan of Turkey unilaterally invaded northern Syria last week in a colonial grab for land, power and control of oil and gas resources following the withdrawal of US Forces from the area.

A key strategic objective of Turkey is to close down the existing border crossing between Syria and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, and build a new crossing between Turkey and Iraq that will be under Turkish control. But with the aggression comes a sinister element of ethnic cleansing against Kurdish people.

The ethnic Syrian Kurds currently defending the residents in Northern Syria are the YPG (the Unit Protecting the People). Erdogan brands their troops as terrorists, when in fact they are forces that have fought alongside NATO allies to defeat IS. The disloyalty shown by the USA to their former allies has exposed them to unexpected attack from another NATO member, Turkey. Syrian Kurds are treated as stateless by Syria and have hitherto sought to oppose the Assad regime, but the betrayal by NATO caused by the US-Turkey stitch-up has left them with no alternative but to reach out to Assad and to Russia, calling on the Syrian Army to defend the frontier against invasion, whilst they concentrate their efforts on defending civilians.

It is not clear what motivated this erratic foreign policy move by the USA, but for certain the only beneficiaries will be Russia and President Assad.

Collateral damage caused by the unprovoked war instigated by the Turks will be the weakening of YPG defences in Syria and the inevitable escape of IS prisoners of war and their families to restart their terrorist operations against the West.

In the neighbouring Region of Kurdistan (KRG) in Iraq, they are bracing themselves for a wave of up to 250 000 refugees from this new theatre of war. KRG is already home to some 350 000 Kurdish refugees from the war in Syria, and a further 1.5 million Sunni Arab IDPs from previous conflict with IS in Iraq. Crisis centres have been activated and local NGOs are mobilised, but the reality is that this region is heavily stretched and starved of budget to deal with an emergency of such a scale. They are doing their best to provide camps with shelter, clean water, and the provision of health and education services for the existing refugee and IDP population but they will struggle to deal with these extra numbers without help.

If Europe is to avoid another refugee migrant crisis this winter, it is important to take urgent measures to:

a) call a permanent halt to Turkey’s military 
aggression against Syria and Syrian Kurds;

b) find a peaceful solution to the current conflict, 
 which is in everybody’s interest;

c) involve the Syrian Kurds in consultation about 
 the redesign of the Syrian constitution that 
 enfranchises them and gives them a fair say in 
 their future;

d) urge Turkey to review and improve its treatment 
 of its own Kurdish minority.

e) call for international efforts to increase the 
 resources needed to look after refugees in Iraq, 
Syria and the KRG – it is in the West’s interest 
 that the refugee crisis is dealt with as closely as 
 possible to the original homes of the innocent 
 victims – otherwise the migrant crisis that 
 Europe faced two years ago will be repeated.

The situation calls for the appointment of a Special Envoy either by the EU or by the UN who should be tasked to secure a peaceful solution to the current crisis, such as perhaps the negotiator Melhem Riachy, the former communications minister from the Lebanese Forces party, who helped to reconcile seemingly intractable differences and bring opposite parties together to resolve conflict in Lebanon. This style of intervention of parachuting in an impartial and experienced third party negotiator could be a useful component in unlocking the prolonged regional crisis in Northern Syria.

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After the elections Kyuchyuk said, “Unless Turkey plays an active role in the Syrian refugee crisis, the crisis would cause worse serious consequences than today. However, relations should not only be limited to the refugees but cooperation also should be economically and culturally improved. Turkey also plays a significant role in NATO and the Balkans. In this context, enabling good contact with Turkey, and engaging in principled work will also benefit for the European Union.”

« It is not possible to be insensitive to Turkey for me. Turkey is Bulgaria’s borders. Also, almost 1 million of our compatriots live in Turkey. Therefore, Turkey is a friendly nation for us. If relations improve and the frequency of visits increases, Europeans do not treat Turkish citizens as foreigners. On the contrary, I believe they will see them as European citizens because Turkish people are Europeans who believe in democracy. To achieve this, we will work on visa liberalization. In the matter of improving economic relations, we will endeavor to update the Customs Union.” Kyuchyuk went on.

« There have been mutual damages in our relationship. Nevertheless, I’m hopeful about the future. In the next five years, I wish to establish powerful and sustainable relations in the Parliament, the Commission, and the Council through foreseeing administrations, » he concluded.

Considering the strategic importance of Turkey for the European Union, this is an important forum that brings together elected representatives from the European and Turkish legislatures. In addition to this, the European Parliament’s delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee maintains contacts with Turkish civil society. Through its regular meetings in Strasbourg and Brussels, the delegation provides a forum for a variety of voices on Turkey – those of researchers and officials, business representatives and ordinary citizens – to be heard.

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Son of the President of the Supreme Court of Northern Cyprus, he studied law in Southampton and the University College London and moved in 2003 to Brussels. After an internship in the European Parliament (all still quite “normal”), he became the first Northern Cypriot (some people would say “Turkish Cypriot”) to work in the European Commission.

Not only in a Directorate General, but in the Cabinets of two Southern Cypriot Commissioners (some would say Greek Cypriots). After this experience, he moved to two Directorate Generals: DG SANCO (health and consumers) and DG MOVE (mobility and transport). This meant that he represented the EU at meetings of the WHO (World Health Organisation) and negotiated maritime aspects in the free trade agreements with the US and Japan.

Because of personal reasons he moved back to the Northern part of Cyprus and worked there as a lawyer, specialised in maritime transport.

To recall: Cyprus is an island in the Eastern Mediterranean. Because of its strategic location, the British conquered it as colony. In 1960, the country became independent and lived peacefully with a power-sharing of the two linguistic groups. In 1974 a war broke out – consequence: the island is now divided and a sort of iron curtain separates the North (Turkish speaking) from the South (Greek speaking). The United Nations (UN) negotiated a referendum to unite the Island: in 2004 it was accepted in the North and rejected in the South. As history is not always fair, the South was accepted to represent the whole of the island as a member of the EU.

And Erdem Erginel in all of this? He practiced law in the Northern part – in a territory only recognised by the neighbouring Turkey. As he always looks for challenges, he went to the South, asked for an internship in a law firm, studied law, discovering how different it has become since the splitting of the country in 1974. Every day, he crossed the border with two identity checks and went through the no man’s land, secured by UN troops. After having passed all the ten examinations, he became a lawyer of the Southern part as well.

This means: he is the only Cypriot, who is now practising law in the two parts of the country. If you look at other separated countries in the recent past (Germany, Korea, Vietnam, Yemen), Erdem Erginel is the only lawyer with a degree from the two sides of the no man’s land to work in the whole territory.

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Whether or not a place like this exists outside London, The London Brasserie sure does a good job of providing the same feeling – and certainly serving better food.

Located right in the quaint centre of Place du Luxembourg, The restaurant is a second home for many who work in the EU institutions, and so, Kemal Eryuruk, the restaurant owner and manager, runs this family business with the spirit of Turkish hospitality that his family raised him with; extending that same hospitality to his guests. Whether you want to buy a coffee and work on your laptop, or just chat away with friends, this is the place.

Styled in a contemporary fashion that pays elegant homage to its name with traditional London red gracing the seat covers and the walls, it provides a distinct and a smooth atmosphere to enjoy a coffee, have a candle-lit dinner or an after-work beer. There is also an outdoor gazebo with heating, for those who want to take advantage of the few slithers of sun the winter days provide; and a removable window wall that creates an open plan between the restaurant and the gazebo for the summer days.

The restaurant offers a mixed menu with popular classics of a Belgian restaurant: Moules et Frites, Steak, but then goes for something a little less common – escalopes, before branching out into international dishes like woks and nasi goreng. This works particularly well as the restaurant can cater to any picky moods you might be in. And to keep up with the locals, there is a « rotating menu » so there will always be new food to try, as well as a beer of the month.

Upon ordering the steak, I was surprised by not only how quick it came, but by the portion I got with it. With good food, there is always an unpredictable balance with quantity. Many restaurants take this to the extreme by serving a delicious dish that can fit on a fork. Thankfully, this was not the case, as I got a decent helping of vinaigrette salad, crisp cut chips, steak and the mushroom sauce. The fine meal went down a treat with my faithful companion – lager – but the one thing that really had me head over heels…the mushroom sauce. Never have I tasted such a heavenly sauce, such a perfect topper to a steak. Kemal told me that like most things on the menu, the sauces are homemade. If my cooking skills ranged beyond scrambled egg, then I would have asked the chef for the recipe.

As I finished my food and nursed the rest of my pint, the day turned to night, and the gazebo started to fill with people, creating the area into a party in which everyone seemed to be invited. I asked Kemal what was going on, and he told me Thursday was a big night for the London and indeed Place du Luxembourg. Every Thursday in the summer, the street is closed off, and the surrounding restaurants serve beer and food from their restaurant, right up until green grass that is in the center of the square. It essentially becomes a block party and is one of the places to be on Thursdays in Brussels. Now winter there won’t be anyone sitting on the grass, but that’s’ not to say the same festivous spirits isn’t there. Joy and fun exudes from this place as people gather from the gazebo bar to the sidewalks on the street, all wanting to be at the London to enjoy their time with their friends.

Having planned to stay only a short while for dinner, I found myself lingering a while longer to soak in the spirit of the party, enjoy the music and of course, another pint. If you are looking for a place to have breakfast, lunch, dinner or thinking of a lively place for a little night-cap, then I think the London could be just what you’re looking for.

Good to know:

• Average meal a person €15-18
• Address: Place du Luxembourg 8, 1050 – Brussels
• Telephone: 02 280 14 91
• Open Monday to Sunday

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