Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Europe's 'double standard' in arms sales
![A boy waves a Turkish flag as Turkish military vehicles drive on a street in the Turkish border town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province [Stoyan Nenov/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2019/10/16/343feccc71c341dc95c10fbbcb7e4317_18.jpg)
European powers have moved quickly to censure Turkey over its long-threatened military offensive in northeast Syria.
Soon after Turkish troops launched the cross-border operation on October 9 - aiming to "eliminate" Kurdish fighters it considers "terrorists" from the region - European members of the United Nations Security Council called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. In a joint statement, they said Ankara's actions could destablise the Middle East and displace even more people.
The condemnation was followed swiftly by bans on arms sales to Turkey.
Europe's top weapons exporters - France, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain and Italy - all said they would halt the export of arms that Turkey could use in its military operation in Syria.
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