QAMISHLI: Syria’s Kurdish parties held a conference on Saturday aimed at presenting a unified vision for the country’s future following the fall of longtime ruler Bashar Assad, a high-ranking participant told AFP.
Eldar Khalil, an official in the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, said that since Kurds were a major component of the country, they “must present a solution and a project proposal for the future of Syria.”
On the question of federalism, Khalil said it was “one of the proposals on the table.”
More than 400 people, including representatives from major Kurdish parties in Syria, Iraq and Turkiye, took part in the “Unity of the Kurdish Position and Ranks” conference in Qamishli, according to the Kurdish Anha news agency.
The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which has controlled large swathes of Syria’s northeast since the early years of the country’s civil war, was represented at the gathering, as were groups opposed to it.
Last month, the Kurdish administration struck a deal to integrate into state institutions, with the new Islamist-led leadership seeking to unify the country following the December overthrow of Assad.
The agreement, however, has not prevented the Kurdish administration from criticizing the new authorities, including over the formation of a new government and a recent constitutional declaration that concentrated executive power in the hands of interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa during the transition period.
Mazloum Abdi, head of the administration’s armed wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces, said at the conference that “my message to all Syrian constituents and the Damascus government is that the conference does not aim, as some say, at division.”
It was being held, he added, “for the unity of Syria.”
Abdi included a call for “a new decentralized constitution that includes all components” of society.
“We support all Syrian components receiving their rights in the constitution to be able to build a decentralized democratic Syria that embraces everyone,” he said.
Khalil said that the participants will also discuss ways to address the role of the Kurds in the new Syria.
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Syria’s Kurds hold conference on vision for country’s future
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Syria’s Kurds hold conference on vision for country’s future
- More than 400 people, including representatives from major Kurdish parties in Syria, Iraq and Turkiye, took part in the “Unity of the Kurdish Position and Ranks” conference in Qamishli
Turkish, Greek leaders voice desire to resolve issues
- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan say they discussed their issues 'in an open and sincere way'
- The NATO allies but historic rivals try to build on warming relations
ANKARA: The leaders of Turkiye and Greece voiced their desire to resolve longstanding maritime disputes hobbling ties during discussions in Ankara on Wednesday, as the NATO allies and historic rivals try to build on warming relations.
The neighbors have been at odds over a range of issues for decades, primarily maritime boundaries and rights in the Aegean, an area widely believed to hold energy resources and with key implications for airspace and military activity.
Following years of heightened tensions, a 2023 declaration on friendly relations prompted a thaw in rhetoric, though their maritime issues have remained unresolved and the two sides still disagree over regional matters.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said they had discussed their issues in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean “in an open and sincere way” during the talks.
“While the issues may be thorny, they are not unsolvable on the basis of international law. I saw that we were in agreement with my friend Kyriakos,” Erdogan said.
He added that the two countries would continue working to achieve their goal of reaching $10 billion in bilateral trade.
Mitsotakis said he hoped circumstances would allow the sides to solve a dispute on the demarcation of maritime and exclusive economic zones in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
If not now when?
“It is time to remove any substantial and formal threats to our relations, if not now, when?” Mitsotakis said.
“Destiny has appointed us to live in the same neighborhood. We cannot change geography, but we can make it an ally, choosing convergence, dialogue and trust in international law... to build a future of peace, progress and prosperity for our people.”
Despite the positive tone, Greece’s foreign minister earlier said Athens planned to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean.
Shortly after, Ankara said it had issued a maritime notice urging Greece to coordinate research activities in areas of the Aegean that Turkiye considers part of its continental shelf.
In 1995, Turkiye’s parliament declared a casus belli — a cause for war — should Greece unilaterally extend its territorial waters beyond six nautical miles in the Aegean, a stance Athens says violates international maritime law. Greece says it wants only to discuss demarcation of maritime zones.
Migrant flows
Mitsotakis also said the flows of migrants in the Aegean Sea had decreased by almost 60 percent last year due to cooperation between the two countries, adding this should be strengthened.
Fifteen migrants died in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Chios last week after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and sank in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast.
Turkiye is a transit country for migrants seeking to reach the European Union via Greece. Ankara says the EU has not fully delivered on commitments under a 2016 migration deal and Athens wants Turkiye to do more to curb irregular crossings.
The neighbors have been at odds over a range of issues for decades, primarily maritime boundaries and rights in the Aegean, an area widely believed to hold energy resources and with key implications for airspace and military activity.
Following years of heightened tensions, a 2023 declaration on friendly relations prompted a thaw in rhetoric, though their maritime issues have remained unresolved and the two sides still disagree over regional matters.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said they had discussed their issues in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean “in an open and sincere way” during the talks.
“While the issues may be thorny, they are not unsolvable on the basis of international law. I saw that we were in agreement with my friend Kyriakos,” Erdogan said.
He added that the two countries would continue working to achieve their goal of reaching $10 billion in bilateral trade.
Mitsotakis said he hoped circumstances would allow the sides to solve a dispute on the demarcation of maritime and exclusive economic zones in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
If not now when?
“It is time to remove any substantial and formal threats to our relations, if not now, when?” Mitsotakis said.
“Destiny has appointed us to live in the same neighborhood. We cannot change geography, but we can make it an ally, choosing convergence, dialogue and trust in international law... to build a future of peace, progress and prosperity for our people.”
Despite the positive tone, Greece’s foreign minister earlier said Athens planned to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean.
Shortly after, Ankara said it had issued a maritime notice urging Greece to coordinate research activities in areas of the Aegean that Turkiye considers part of its continental shelf.
In 1995, Turkiye’s parliament declared a casus belli — a cause for war — should Greece unilaterally extend its territorial waters beyond six nautical miles in the Aegean, a stance Athens says violates international maritime law. Greece says it wants only to discuss demarcation of maritime zones.
Migrant flows
Mitsotakis also said the flows of migrants in the Aegean Sea had decreased by almost 60 percent last year due to cooperation between the two countries, adding this should be strengthened.
Fifteen migrants died in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Chios last week after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and sank in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast.
Turkiye is a transit country for migrants seeking to reach the European Union via Greece. Ankara says the EU has not fully delivered on commitments under a 2016 migration deal and Athens wants Turkiye to do more to curb irregular crossings.
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