ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Presidency said on Sunday it is following the developments in Syria with “great interest” and calls on all parties to utilize dialogue and peace to resolve the conflict. “We in the Kurdistan Region are following the developments in Syria with great interest. We call on all parties to adopt the language of dialogue and a peaceful solution that will ensure justice and equality for all communities in Syria, including the Kurdish people, and their active participation in shaping the country's future,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency. While reaffirming its commitment to maintain a “balanced relationship within Iraq” and work to ensure stability in Syria, the Kurdistan Region Presidency said it rejects “any conflict that complicates the situation in the region, and we emphasize the protection of security, stability and the interests of all nations and communities in the region.” Syria’s civil war dramatically reignited late last month when a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army. They quickly took control of the northern city of Aleppo, the largest in the country, and then advanced to capture the strategic central province of Hama. Their blitz continued as they captured Homs, and culminated in the fall of Damascus as rebels said President Bashar al-Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule. HTS is the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda and the prominent force among dozens of rebel factions. The group has long controlled a rebel enclave in the northwestern province of Idlib. It has been internationally recognized as a terrorist organization. After taking over Damascus, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani ordered his forces not to approach any official institutions in the capital and declared that these institutions will remain under the supervision of Assad’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali until their official handover.
