“We spoke about the situation in NE Syria and I showed support for inclusion of SDC in the constitutional committee,” said FM Ann Linde of the meeting in a tweet on Tuesday, referring to the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political arm of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Rojava representatives have thus far been excluded from a constitutional committee formed to resolve the Syrian civil war through the adopting of a new constitution or amending of the current one. The committee currently includes members of the Turkey-backed Syrian opposition, Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime, and a number of UN appointees.
Elham Ahmed, President of the SDC’s executive committee, Abdulkarim Omar, head of Rojava’s foreign relations commission, and Badran Jia Kurd, deputy chair of Rojava’s autonomous administration, attended Tuesday’s virtual meeting.
In a tweet, Ahmed commended the Swedish top diplomat for making “great contributions for peace and stability” in the region.
Linde also mentioned that her country supports Rojava’s recent decision to remove Syrians from the notorious al-Hol camp, describing it a “de-radicalization” process.
Omar said the meeting also featured discussions of Turkish bombardments and Kurdish unity talks.
Linde has become known for voicing strong support to Syria’s Kurds. While in Ankara in mid-October, she reiterated to her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu that Turkey must withdraw from Rojava.
“I have been clear about our position regarding northeast Syria but the strong EU position remains the same. We continue to urge Turkey to withdraw,” Linde said during a joint presser.
Cavusoglu responded to her comment with criticism for the visiting minister’s word choice. “In diplomacy, it is incorrect and arrogant to use the word ‘urge’. Therefore it is not a correct approach, but a wrong word,” said the Turkish minister.
Kurdish officials in Rojava cheered on the Swedish minister’s comments.
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