Turkey Refutes Allegations of Olive Tree Damage in Afrin

(MENAFN) Turkish authorities have firmly denied accusations suggesting that millions of olive trees were destroyed by Türkiye in Syria’s Afrin region, describing the claims as false and misleading.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Türkiye’s Center for Combating Disinformation rejected assertions that the country had “cut down more than 2 million olive trees,” labeling the allegations as baseless and part of a broader misinformation effort.

“Such content constitutes merely a renewed iteration of systematic black propaganda that has been produced and disseminated for years by terrorist organisations and their affiliates with the aim of targeting Türkiye,” the center said in a post shared on social media.

The statement emphasized that similar claims, which have already been disproven in the past, continue to reappear as part of what it described as a “deliberate perception operation.”

According to the center, the timing of these accusations is notable, as they coincide with a period when “Syria’s territorial integrity is being effectively reinforced and terrorist elements are being neutralized.”

“Türkiye’s presence in the region has made significant contributions to counter-terrorism efforts and to the establishment of an environment of peace, security, stability, and prosperity,” the statement added.

The center further stressed that the allegations are unsupported by any reliable or verifiable evidence and consist entirely of disinformation, according to official explanations.

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