By Samer Yassin
TEL TAMR, Syria (North Press) – Regarding the formulation of the social contract in the regions of northeastern Syria by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), Assyrian community in the town of Tel Tamr north of Hasakah, northeast Syria, has expressed their demand for the new social contract to fully safeguard the social, cultural, and national rights of the Assyrian people.
On July 15, 2021, a mini-committee of 30 members was formed to prepare a draft for the Social Contract, which will be considered as a Constitution regulating the political, economic and social work of the AANES.
The Social Contract includes the introduction and the basic principles, the rights, the freedom, and the system of the social justice, as well as, it paves the way for the coming elections which will include the whole aspects of the AANES.
The goal of the Social Contract is to create a decentralized administrative system in the northern and eastern areas of Syria. However, the Syrian government views it as a “separatist” constitution, despite the AANES insistence on the project’s national responsibility.
Nationalism not numbers
Member of the Central Committee of the Assyrian Democratic Party, Johnny Hermiz, told North Press, that the Assyrian people have been living on their land for thousands of years, and they are an essential part of the Syrian civilization.
“However, the Assyrian people still sometimes suffer from marginalization and denial of their national identity and existence in Syria,” Hermiz noted.
He believes in the necessity of combining national and patriotic work, and includes the Assyrian in the formation of the new contract.
Regarding the social contract, Hermiz said “It is necessary to work with all communities to formulate a new modernized Social Contract this contract should embrace political and national diversity, and believes in justice and equality among all communities within the society.”
He emphasized the importance of not letting numerical considerations determine citizens’ rights and responsibilities. Instead, “everyone should be a true and active partner in building the community, realizing themselves, and exercising their rights.”
Decentralization is the solution
Through the social contract, Jamila Kako, the representative of the Foundation for the Families of Assyrian Khabour Martyrs, called for the commitment to all international agreements concerning human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples. Additionally, she expressed support for administrative decentralization in Syria.
“We stand in favor of administrative decentralization in Syria, and we affirm the Assyrian people’s right to have local Assyrian administrations in their areas,” she noted.
She further explained that the administrative decentralization ensures their ability to safeguard their cultural and Assyrian national identities within the framework of national partnership.
The Assyrian language
Oshana Oshana, the representative of the Youth in the Assyrian Democratic Party, stressed the importance of recognizing the Assyrian language as an official language in the country.
In an interview with North Press, Oshana further emphasized that the Assyrian people must be defined according to their national identity, apart from religious and sectarian divisions.
Tel Tamr, which has a population of about 25,000 and is 30 km away from the Syrian-Turkish border, is of strategic importance as it is a junction on the M4 Highway linking the Jazira region in northeast Syria to Aleppo governorate in northwest.
The town of Tel Tamr has been under constant attack by Turkish military and its affiliated armed Syrian opposition factions for more than two years.
The countryside of Tel Tamr includes about 33 Assyrian villages, 5 of which were almost fully emptied due to ISIS attacks and their location on the frontlines with the Turkish forces, according to the residents.