AANES top official says solving Syrian crisis needs urgent steps
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Urgent solution and serious and practical steps are needed for the Syrian crisis, as there are several parties taking control of the country. So that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) launched an initiative to solve the crisis politically, an official of the AANES said on Sunday.
In an exclusive statement to North Press, Badran Chiya Kurd, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the AANES, said that the AANES has called for intra-Syrian talks several times, and this time “we expressed our readiness for dialogue, discussion, and assistance in finding solution for the Syrian crisis.”
He stressed that the Syrian government must also express a real intention to sit at the dialogue table.
The acceleration of normalization processes with the government cannot constitute an alternative to a political solution if it is not accompanied by a political transformation, Chiya Kurd added.
The active forces, whether Arab or international, must be a catalyst in bringing the views of the government, the AANES, and the rest of the Syrian political powers closer.
The conflict in Syria has turned into a conflict of the interests of foreign powers at the expense of the interests of the Syrian people. The Syrian government and opposition have not presented a national, political, and democratic project that guarantees the rights of all communities of the Syrian people, according to Chiya Kurd.
The official stressed that “the weakness of the opposition is represented by the Syrian National Coalition and its military wing; as well as the Syrian government failed to develop a comprehensive national vision for the Syrians, and relied on military solutions supported by Iran and Russia.”
On the contrary, “the AANES, since its formation in 2014, was a Syrian national and democratic project that was based on the pluralism and coexistence.”
The Syrian political solution would not be possible if all parties and communities of Syrian society did not participate in it,” according to the Kurdish official.
Answering the question whether the AANES has set a mechanism to solve the Syrian crisis in a peaceful and democratic way, the official said, “We depend on the political vision of the AANES, which is based on several dimensions: humanitarian, security, economic, and political.”
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the SDF defeated ISIS militarily there.
Politically, the AAES looks forward to real political change in the country, and the adoption of a decentralized system that guarantees the rights of all Syrian communities, ethnically and religiously. This point is fully consistent with the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSC) 2254, as the concerned parties in the Syrian issue must put pressure until this change is achieved, the official noted.
In December 2015, the UNSC adopted a resolution, endorsing a “Road Map for Peace Process in Syria” which calls for a ceasefire and settlement to the civil war in Syria between the Syrian government and the opposition. However, the resolution has not been achieved yet.
Economically, the AANES-held areas constitute a basic building block for reconstruction and investment, and it has economic and natural resources that belong to the Syrian people, and they must be distributed to the people through dialogue with the Syrian government.
Humanly, the AANES has expressed its readiness to receive Syrian refugees from neighboring countries in coordination with the UN, however, their residency in the AANES-held areas should be temporary until a comprehensive political and security settlement is reached that guarantees the safe return of all Syrian people to their areas, Chiya Kurd added.
In terms of security, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the security institutions of the AANES continue efforts to combat terrorism, and these forces have proven their worth and gained the confidence of US-led Global Coalition.
The AANES guarantees the integrity and safety of Syrian territories, but media and political smear campaigns by the Syrian parties try to promote it to be a separatist project since these parties do not have political projects to bring Syrians all together and call for decentralization.
Chiya Kurd told North Press that the government wants to return to what was before 2011, which is imposing policy of iron fist, elimination, marginalization and imposing one culture on others, this will weaken belongingness and responsibility towards homeland, thus the practices of the centralized regime puts the integrity at risk. In addition, the opposition looks at a completely similar view.
On the other hand, the AANES intends to preserve the unity of Syria and the exit of foreign forces from its lands, he said.
He stressed the importance of revitalizing border crossings and to work on opening al-Ya’rubiyah (Tel Kocher) border crossing for humanitarian reasons, as the region is suffering from the consequences of the war.
Al-Ya’rubiyah border-crossing is located on the Syrian-Iraqi border and was the official crossing between the two countries prior to the Syrian conflict in 2011.
Prior to the crossing’s closure in 2020, which happened because of a Russian-Chinese veto in the UNSC, 103 medical facilities were receiving aid across the crossing to northeastern Syria, according to a report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the UNSC.
Regarding to the ongoing Arab rapprochements with the government, he said that it is natural for Arab states to play an active role in solving the prolonged Syrian crisis since it is a part of the Arab region.
Some countries have stepped up to normalize ties with Syria, which Turkey is already doing, while others, most notably the US and the UK, oppose the rapprochement unless Syria takes steps towards a political solution.
“We are not against any Syrian-Arab rapprochement, … but it must not be on the expense of the Syrian people. It necessary for Arab states to open communication channels with all Syrian parties, including the AANES,” Kurd added.
Answering the question of the reason behind the antagonism against the AANES, he said that the government fights the project of the AANES because the latter rejects the exclusivist central regime that the government insists on.
Also the government considers the Kurdish issue as the most dangerous subject as it will lead to an inclusive Syrian national democratic transformation process. “The reality of the AANES’ project is not like the regime claims and promotes as being a threat and fragmentation of the Syrian unity. It is completely the other way around.”