US Commission on International Religious Freedom Vice Chair: US should recognize Autonomous Administration in NE Syria

Vice chair of UCIRF in a press conference in Syria’s Raqqa (Photo: North Press)
Vice chair of UCIRF in a press conference in Syria’s Raqqa (Photo: North Press)

RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – On Saturday, the Vice Chair of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Nadine Maenza, held a press conference with the co-chair of Raqqa Civil Council (RCC), after an eight-hour meeting.

Nadine Maenza expressed during the press conference her admiration of the working mechanism of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES), and called on the US to recognize it politically.

“The US should take our recommendations to give political recognition to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, lift sanctions on the area that they govern, and pressure Turkey to withdraw,” she added.

“It’s surreal, considering the fact that this used to be the headquarters for the ISIS caliphate, and now it’s the headquarters for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria,” Maenza said of her experience in Raqqa, adding that the AANES regions of Syria has “the best religious freedom conditions in the Middle East, and you have the best conditions for gender equality.”

Hassan al-Mustafa, Deputy Co-chair of the RCC, told North Press that the USCIRF had a clear and positive perception of the working mechanism of RCC and its committees.

He added, “The perceptions formed by the USCIRF about the Autonomous Administration will be conveyed to some parties in the US administration.”

Maenza indicated that the AANES relies on its own capabilities, remarking that “it’s remarkable seeing progress in just two years in Raqqa, with hardly any support.”

Maenza said that her visit was in a personal capacity, but that she would work to raise proposals to US Congress to keep US forces in the region, because their withdrawal may threaten the security of the region. “What the Autonomous Administration needs is for the US to let them survive and grow and thrive,” she added.

Maenza’s visit to Raqqa comes as part of a series of visits during which she has toured cities and towns in northeastern Syria since the 28th of September.