ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Thursday that the fate of Syrian Kurds remains unclear as there are “no guarantees” about their future in the country.
Syrian Kurds have been enjoying a self-administration since the early years of civil war in the country in 2011 following the withdrawal of regime forces in Kurdish areas in order to defend the capital city of Damascus from opposition fighters.
However, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) is facing numerous challenges, such as Turkish military threats, economic crisis and intra-Kurdish issues.
Barzani said at an event in Duhok on Thursday that the future of Syrian Kurds and their relations with Damascus remains unclear.
“There are no guarantees about their future,” he said, adding that despite the presence of the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) forces in northeast Syria (Rojava), “I have not seen any sort of political agreement about their status in the future.”
Rojava officials have made several attempts to reach an agreement with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime but they have not been fruitful.
“I don’t see a very positive move from the government in Damascus to accept and admit to incorporate that part of the country by preserving their rights and giving their rights, and find a way that is workable for both sides,” noted Barzani.
He indirectly blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for intervening in the internal affairs of Rojava.
“The last point, which I think is the worst part, is the intervention and the influencing of the decisions of the administration by some external factors,” he said, adding that “It is really up to the people of the region to make up their minds and become the masters of their destiny and become independent.”
He reiterated his government’s readiness to mediate between Rojava authorities and the opposition group, Kurdish National Council (ENKS), to reach an agreement. Both sides have held numerous talks to resolve their differences but have not reached a deal.
