ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A British delegation arrived in Rojava on Tuesday evening to meet with local officials as the self-autonomous Kurdish region faces military threats from Turkey.
“A delegation from Britain entered Rojava through Semalka crossing border this evening to follow up on the situation in Rojava and northern Syria in general and to submit a report to British authorities regarding their findings,” the Democratic Union Party (PYD) tweeted on Tuesday evening.
Semalka connects the Kurdistan Region and Rojava.
The British delegation includes Labour (Co-op) MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Lord Maurice Glasman, as well as trade union representatives, according to ANHA news.
They were received by Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of foreign affairs of Jazira canton, and his deputy Sana Dham, the PYD-linked news agency reported, adding that the delegation will travel to Qamishli to meet with local officials.
Russell-Moyle has previously shown his support for Kurds in Syria and Turkey.
He wrote in Newsweek magazine that the UK should not sell weapons to Turkey because they could end up being used against the Kurdish armed force the YPG – “Britain’s ally.”
He likened arming Turkey with arming Saudi Arabia in his February 2 article, almost two weeks after Turkey launched its operation against Afrin.
“Both are internally repressive, both institutionally use torture and both have on occasion exercised violent collective punishment against minorities. They also both support al-Qaeda in Syria, a designated terrorist organisation, so both present clear diversion risks,” he wrote.
He also accused Turkey of oppressing minorities living in the country, referring to Kurds and the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP).
Turkey considers the PYD and PYG branches of the PKK, a named terror organization, and has threatened to extend its military campaign in northern Syria across Rojava after taking control of Afrin canton last month.
Kurdish officials from Rojava were hosted by France’s Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week, drawing Ankara’s ire.
“A delegation from Britain entered Rojava through Semalka crossing border this evening to follow up on the situation in Rojava and northern Syria in general and to submit a report to British authorities regarding their findings,” the Democratic Union Party (PYD) tweeted on Tuesday evening.
Semalka connects the Kurdistan Region and Rojava.
The British delegation includes Labour (Co-op) MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Lord Maurice Glasman, as well as trade union representatives, according to ANHA news.
They were received by Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of foreign affairs of Jazira canton, and his deputy Sana Dham, the PYD-linked news agency reported, adding that the delegation will travel to Qamishli to meet with local officials.
Russell-Moyle has previously shown his support for Kurds in Syria and Turkey.
He wrote in Newsweek magazine that the UK should not sell weapons to Turkey because they could end up being used against the Kurdish armed force the YPG – “Britain’s ally.”
He likened arming Turkey with arming Saudi Arabia in his February 2 article, almost two weeks after Turkey launched its operation against Afrin.
“Both are internally repressive, both institutionally use torture and both have on occasion exercised violent collective punishment against minorities. They also both support al-Qaeda in Syria, a designated terrorist organisation, so both present clear diversion risks,” he wrote.
He also accused Turkey of oppressing minorities living in the country, referring to Kurds and the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP).
Turkey considers the PYD and PYG branches of the PKK, a named terror organization, and has threatened to extend its military campaign in northern Syria across Rojava after taking control of Afrin canton last month.
Kurdish officials from Rojava were hosted by France’s Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week, drawing Ankara’s ire.
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