The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, called for an end to the fighting in north-east Syria on his arrival at the informal meeting of the Defence Council in Zagreb on Wednesday 4 March.
"I once again call for a halt to military action to protect" the population, he highlighted, declaring that the situation in Idlib was "one of the worst cases of human suffering in the last 70 years".
Host of the meeting, Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic, also called for a ceasefire, as did the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, after his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at which he was joined by Mr Borrell. "A lasting ceasefire and a lasting political solution to the Syrian crisis are urgently needed", Mr Michel stressed in a statement, which also called for respect for humanitarian law.
In Ankara, Borrell stressed that the situation in and around Idlib was "critical" and that "urgent action is needed to end the military confrontations that are causing significant humanitarian suffering". He had explained that the EU and Turkey had a common interest in ending the conflict in Syria.
"We need to work together to address common challenges. We need to work together to find a way to end this conflict. The situation is dramatic. The humanitarian consequences of the military escalation are extremely serious", the High Representative insisted, urging the parties to the conflict to allow immediate access for humanitarian assistance. He was supported in his remarks by the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, also in Turkey. He also called for an immediate end to violations of humanitarian law "which have been common in north-western Syria for far too long".
And although humanitarian aid is struggling to reach the population due to the closure of the Turkish-Syrian border on the Syrian side, the EU announced on 4 March new support amounting to €170 million, of which €60 million is to address the humanitarian crisis in the north-west of the country.
The Netherlands wants a no-fly zone
In a statement, the Dutch Foreign Minister, Stef Blok, called for a no-fly zone over Idlib. "Let's at least ensure that the air attacks over Idlib stop", he said, advocating "a no-fly zone for al-Assad over Idlib".
The Dutch minister will defend this idea at the Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council in Zagreb on Friday 6 March, an idea which he believes will require consultation between the EU, Turkey and Russia "so that Assad has no choice but to keep his air force on the ground".
"The closure of airspace over Idlib must then be monitored internationally, and if an air raid were to occur in Idlib, we would at least know who is responsible", Blok said, saying that "ideally" it should be mandated by the U.N. Security Council. And if such a mandate proves impossible, "monitoring will have to be organised more creatively, for example by sharing intelligence, relying on information from local organisations or conducting remote monitoring", according to the minister.
While Borrell insisted on negotiations with Turkey, Blok called on the EU to engage in dialogue with Russia. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)