Lithuanian president's aide: arms ban should be on all Syria conflict parties to work

VILNIUS - An arms embargo in the Syrian conflict would not be effective unless applied to all involved parties, the Lithuanian president's foreign policy advisor said on Tuesday. 

"We should talk about an arms embargo not only on Turkey, but also on all the warring parties involved in the conflict for that embargo to be effective," Asta Skaisgiryte told the Ziniu Radijas radio station. 

"If only one warring party were subjected to an arms embargo and others were not, there would be little effectiveness in that move," she added. 

The advisor noted that Lithuania does not supply weapons to Turkey. 

According to Skaisgiryte, the latest developments in Syria will most likely be discussed at the European Council's meeting on Thursday and Friday. It will be first EU summit attended by Lithuania's new President Gitanas Nauseda.

Lithuania is observing the situation in Syria "with great concern", the advisor said. 

EU foreign ministers on Monday condemned Turkey's military offensive against Kurds in northern Syria, but stopped short of agreeing on a bloc-wide arms embargo, as urged by some countries.

Several European countries, including Germany and France, have already halted arms exports to Turkey due to its military offensive. Some countries call for an official EU-wide ban on arms exports.

Last week, the EU issued a statement on behalf of all 28 member states, condemning Turkey's offensive and warning that the operation may spark a humanitarian crisis and undermine the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.