ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A group of more than 30 European municipal and parliamentary officials, political party and civil society representatives, and journalists visited northeast Syria (Rojava) this weekend.
They met with the Kurdish-led administration on Saturday.
“In addition to the model of peaceful coexistence, and the administration's vision of achieving a decentralized pluralistic Syria, the exploitation of Turkey and its loyal factions of the fall of the Syrian regime, and its attack on areas of North and East Syria, especially around the Tishreen Dam and the Qara Qozaq bridge were also addressed,” read a statement from the Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (DAANES).
The DAANES asked the visiting Europeans to pressure the international community to stop Turkish attacks.
“The delegations promised to work intensively and pressure their governments to help the Syrian people reach a governance formula that represents all spectrums,” according to the DAANES statement.
The delegation included members of the French and Italian parliaments, members of the municipal governments in Paris and Rome, as well as journalists and civil society representatives from across Europe, according to Hawar News Agency.
“At the invitation of the DAANES, the @ProgIntl is here to commemorate the decisive victory against ISIS at Kobanî 10 years ago, even as Erdogan’s Turkey - as recently as yesterday - rains bombs & bullets on its peoples,” David Adler, co-general coordinator of Progressive International, which connects and mobilizes progressive organizations world wide, wrote on X.
Thomas Porte, a member of the French parliament, said they visited al-Hol camp, which houses thousands of suspected Islamic State (ISIS) family members.
“I will be in Kobane in Rojava on Sunday to attend the commemorations of the 10th anniversary of the liberation of the city and to show our support to the Kurdish people. The international community and France must move beyond mere rhetoric and take concrete action,” Porte wrote on X.
The Europeans also met the Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ) to discuss regional developments.
The YPJ is part of the Kurdish-led forces who fought ISIS in Kobane and are currently defending Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge from more than a month of attacks by Turkey and the Syrian militia groups it supports.
“Kobani was a great war and resistance witnessed by the entire world,” YPJ Commander Rohilat Afrin told the visiting Europeans, according to a YPJ statement.
She also spoke about the attacks on Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq Bridge.
When asked how the Kurdish forces in Rojava can take their place in the new Syria, Afrin said that they are organized, well-trained, have experience in various fields, and can bring these expertise to the Syrian Ministry of Defense.
“It is essential for the YPJ to participate in the Syrian Democratic Ministry of Defense and to play a role in protecting society and women across Syria,” she said.
The YPJ is the all-woman wing of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which is the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key ally of the United States-led global coalition against ISIS.
Turkey, which appears to have strong leverage with the new government in Damascus, considers the Kurdish forces as terrorist organizations and has insisted that they lay down their arms.
The SDF are currently in talks with the new leadership in Damascus about integrating into the national forces.
