ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Masoud Barzani, leader of Kurdistan Region’s ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), on Wednesday received a top delegation from the Turkey-backed Syrian opposition. He told them that the “events” that have taken place in the Syrian city of Afrin are concerning, as observers continue to warn of human rights violations against Kurds in the area. Barzani, the former president of the Kurdistan Region, met with Naser al-Hariri, president of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and his delegation after they arrived in the Region on Tuesday. According to a statement from Barzani’s office, the leader expressed his hope that there would be a solution for Syria’s long-lasting crisis so that people can live in peace. March 15 is the tenth anniversary of the Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Turkey and the SDC’s military arm, the Syrian National Army (SNA), invaded the Kurdish city of Afrin in March 2018 and the towns of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) in October 2019. The areas were previously held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The invading forces have been accused of violating human rights since then. Barzani said that “the events which have taken place in Afrin are concerning,” referring to the violations. “We are monitoring the developments and the future of Kurds in Syria. We hope that the interests of [all] peoples and the religious and ethnic groups are considered.” Many international human rights groups, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), have expressed their concerns about the “violence and criminality rife” in these three areas. “An alarming pattern of grave violations has been documented in these areas in recent months, such as increased killings, kidnappings, and unlawful transfers of people, as well as seizures of land and properties,” said OHCHR in a report in September 2020. Most of the violations have been carried out against the Kurds, who are no longer a majority in Afrin as hundreds of thousands of them fled the city in the face of the Turkish invasion in 2018. Hariri said in a tweet on Wednesday that he and Barzani discussed “the most important issues and challenges in the region as well as the latest field and political developments.” He praised Barzani for his “principled position” and “support for the Syrian people and their revolutionary demands in terms of freedom, dignity and deliverance from the criminal regime.” The opposition leader told reporters in Erbil on Tuesday after meeting with Kurdish opposition umbrella group Kurdish National Council (ENKS) that he supports Kurdish rights in Syria. “We have strong relations with our Kurdish brothers who are part of the Syrian community. We have lived together, struggled together, and given lives together. Therefore, I support all of their rights, including their right to Kurdish education.” ENKS is a member of the SNC and is affiliated to the KDP. The membership of the ENKS in the SNC has been criticized by the ruling Kurdish party in northeast Syria (Rojava), the Democratic Union Party (PYD).
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![[From left] Masoud Barzani and Naser al-Hariri in Erbil. Date: March 3, 2021. Photo: Hariri's Twitter account](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.rudaw.net%2Fs3%2Frudaw.net%2FContentFiles%2F566364Image1.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
