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Syria
Elham Ahmed (centre), president of Syrian Democratic Council’s executive, and Qadri Jameel, member of the presidency committee of the People’s Will Party (right), speak in a press conference in Moscow on August 31, 2020. Photo: SDC
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council, political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with a Syrian Marxist party in Moscow. The memo calls for aligning the SDF with the Syrian Army and finding a solution to the Kurdish issue.
The memorandum was signed by Elham Ahmed, president of the SDC’s executive, and Qadri Jameel, a member of the presidency committee of the People’s Will Party.
The document describes the Syrian Army as “the general national institution to which carrying weapons is restricted, and it does not interfere with politics.”
“Syrian Democratic Forces, which have seriously contributed to the war on terror and are still working to promote coexistence, should be involved within the Syrian Army institution on the basis of formulas and mechanisms to be agreed upon,” it states.
Ahmed said in a press conference that the agreement between their parties “will be a new step for a political solution in Syria.”
Jameel said the memorandum was achieved “without foreign interference or mediation.”
“This memorandum confirmed that Syrian parties need agreements and understandings despite their differences. These agreements and understandings are not possible without having friendly and faithful talks with the goal of achieving the interests of Syrians,” he said.
The document they signed said their agreement comes as the Syrian people are suffering under killings, arrests, kidnappings, displacement, and miserable living conditions. “It has become necessary for all democratic patriotic forces to move to joint action to stop this tragedy and this destruction,” it reads.
The memorandum says “The new Syria is a united Syria, in land and people. It is a democratic state that achieves equal citizenship and social justice. It is proud of all its components (Arabs, Kurds, Syriac Assyrians, Turkmen, Armenians, Circassians).”
This is in contrast to the Syrian constitution, which describes the country as an Arab nation. The Kurdish minority has suffered for decades under the regimes of President Bashar al-Assad and his father before him. Many Kurds are denied identity documents and Kurdish language is not permitted in official settings.
During the civil war, Kurds in the northeast have largely avoided conflict with Damascus. They carved out their own region, known as Rojava, and have established their own administration. The SDF gained international support as a key ally in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS). The Rojava leadership, however, have been left out of UN-led peace talks and drafting of a new constitution.
Rojava authorities have tried and failed to open negotiations with Damascus in the past.
The agreement between the SDC and the People’s Will Party says the Kurdish issue should be resolved with “equal citizenship.”
Condemnation from Ankara
Ahmed and Jameel together met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to a statement from his office. Lavrov said Russia is committed to an inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue.
Ankara condemned Moscow’s reception of the Rojava delegation. A statement from Turkey’s foreign ministry said it is “concerned that the so-called ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ – led by the terrorist organization of PKK/YPG – is invited to Russia and received by high level Russian officials.”
The People’s Protection Units (YPG) is a Kurdish armed force in northern Syria and leading members of the SDF. Ankara considers them a branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Turkey’s deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal will go to Russia “for political consultation” and “our protest on the subject will be conveyed to Russian authorities,” the ministry stated.
The memorandum was signed by Elham Ahmed, president of the SDC’s executive, and Qadri Jameel, a member of the presidency committee of the People’s Will Party.
The document describes the Syrian Army as “the general national institution to which carrying weapons is restricted, and it does not interfere with politics.”
“Syrian Democratic Forces, which have seriously contributed to the war on terror and are still working to promote coexistence, should be involved within the Syrian Army institution on the basis of formulas and mechanisms to be agreed upon,” it states.
Ahmed said in a press conference that the agreement between their parties “will be a new step for a political solution in Syria.”
Jameel said the memorandum was achieved “without foreign interference or mediation.”
“This memorandum confirmed that Syrian parties need agreements and understandings despite their differences. These agreements and understandings are not possible without having friendly and faithful talks with the goal of achieving the interests of Syrians,” he said.
The document they signed said their agreement comes as the Syrian people are suffering under killings, arrests, kidnappings, displacement, and miserable living conditions. “It has become necessary for all democratic patriotic forces to move to joint action to stop this tragedy and this destruction,” it reads.
The memorandum says “The new Syria is a united Syria, in land and people. It is a democratic state that achieves equal citizenship and social justice. It is proud of all its components (Arabs, Kurds, Syriac Assyrians, Turkmen, Armenians, Circassians).”
This is in contrast to the Syrian constitution, which describes the country as an Arab nation. The Kurdish minority has suffered for decades under the regimes of President Bashar al-Assad and his father before him. Many Kurds are denied identity documents and Kurdish language is not permitted in official settings.
During the civil war, Kurds in the northeast have largely avoided conflict with Damascus. They carved out their own region, known as Rojava, and have established their own administration. The SDF gained international support as a key ally in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS). The Rojava leadership, however, have been left out of UN-led peace talks and drafting of a new constitution.
Rojava authorities have tried and failed to open negotiations with Damascus in the past.
The agreement between the SDC and the People’s Will Party says the Kurdish issue should be resolved with “equal citizenship.”
Condemnation from Ankara
Ahmed and Jameel together met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to a statement from his office. Lavrov said Russia is committed to an inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue.
Ankara condemned Moscow’s reception of the Rojava delegation. A statement from Turkey’s foreign ministry said it is “concerned that the so-called ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ – led by the terrorist organization of PKK/YPG – is invited to Russia and received by high level Russian officials.”
The People’s Protection Units (YPG) is a Kurdish armed force in northern Syria and leading members of the SDF. Ankara considers them a branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Turkey’s deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal will go to Russia “for political consultation” and “our protest on the subject will be conveyed to Russian authorities,” the ministry stated.
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