ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said on Saturday that the goal of the first Kurdish unity conference in northeast Syria (Rojava) is to strengthen Syria, not divide it, addressing concerns among some Syrians.
“My message for all components of Syria and the Damascus government is that this conference is not, as some claim, to divide. Conversely, it is for the unity of Syria. We reiterate that we support the territorial integrity of Syria, and we state that the unity of Kurds is the unity of Syria, and the strengthening of Kurds means the strengthening of Syria,” he said.
The conference, gathering over 400 Kurds from Syria, Kurdistan Region and Turkey, comes as Kurds are navigating their future in the new Syria.
“Many ethnicities live in Syria and there are many cultures and religions. Therefore, the new Syria needs a constitution that provides decentralization and includes all components. Therefore, we endorse all components to achieve their rights and a Syria that embraces all,” Abdi added.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, spearheaded a coalition of jihadist rebel groups that toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad on December 8. The country is now in a transitional phase.
Sharaa was named interim president in January. He vowed at the time to form an “inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity.” He has, however, faced domestic and international criticism that he has marginalized minority communities.
The SDF on March 10 signed a landmark deal with Sharaa to integrate into national institutions and both sides are working on implementing it. The SDF is the de facto army of Rojava and controls around one third of Syria.
Despite the agreement, Kurds, like other minority communities in Syria, are concerned about the centralization of power and prominence of Islamic law in the transitional constitution adopted by Sharaa and his interim government.
The Kurdish Unity and Consensus in Western Kurdistan Conference, the official name of the conference, was put together in order to create a unified front to strengthen the Kurdish position in discussions with Damascus. It brings together Rojava’s two main feuding political groups - the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the main opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) - after over a decade of on-and-off talks between them.
Abdi said that the conference did not emerge out of blue but was the result of intense efforts of Kurdish political parties and meetings.
“This is the completion of them. Many Kurdistani forces have supported Rojava in unity efforts. Above all, we remember the support of President [Masoud] Barzani and thank him,” he said.
Hamid Darbandi, head of the Syria dossier at the office of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, attended the conference and read out a letter from Barzani that said the conference serves as a platform to find a "just" solution for Kurdish issues in Syria.
He stressed that the developments in Syria have created "excellent chances" for Kurds to seize their rights.
A "political and diplomatic solution" for Kurdish issues in Syria is the best option, the KDP leader added.
