Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Friday commiserated with the Kurds as Turkish troops launched their cross-border offensive to uproot the Kurdish militants in northeast Syria.

“It’s a shame how the persecution of a proud nation can repeat itself, over and over again for centuries under the eyes of the whole world,” Gemayel wrote on Twitter.

“A nation that has no right to a state. Though they are still fighting, alongside other persecuted ethnic groups, with great courage... #Kurds,” he added.

It’s a shame how the persecution of a proud nation can repeat itself, over and over again for centuries under the eyes of the whole world. A nation that has no right to a state. Though they are still fighting, alongside other persecuted ethnic groups, with great courage... #Kurds

— Samy Gemayel (@samygemayel) October 11, 2019

The Kataeb chief had already departed to Rome to take part in the Centrist Democrat International (IDC-CDI) executive meeting, in which he holds the position of vice president.

He will hold talks with several high-ranking officials on the sidelines of the political assembly and will also visit the Vatican to meet its Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.