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Bedran Çiya Kurd, deputy co-chair of the Autonomous Administration of North-East Syria (AANES), said that an agreement between Turkey and the Syrian regime would be against the Syrian people, and such a hostile policy would deepen the Syrian crisis.
“The regime should consider how to develop solutions, discussions and dialogues with Syrians to reach a political solution for the future of Syria,” Çiya Kurd told Hawar news agency over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s search for dialogue with the Syrian government.
The deputy co-chair called for compromise.
Meanwhile in Tehran and Sochi, recent talks between Russia, Turkey and Iran showed agreement on certain issues among the three foreign powers present in Syria, he said.
Turkey would have preferred to target north and east Syria under a greenlight from NATO and the Astana process with Russia, the AANES official continued. “But that was impossible because any attack by Turkey would harm the interests of many countries, especially Russia and Iran. So, they did not allow ground attacks. Instead, they allowed Turkey to use armed and unarmed drones.”
Both Russia and the US-led global coalition against ISIS have kept their silence in the face of Turkey’s attacks, and neither have been fulfilling their obligations to other parties, Çiya Kurd said.
Turkey has benefited from the weakened positions of the two biggest players in the region, he said. “All this deepens the conflict in Syria. ISIS gangs take advantage of these attacks, reorganise themselves and increase their threats against all parties.”
Çiya Kurd called Turkish drone strikes in Syria “war crimes”, saying Ankara “violates rules, conventions and international law”. According to the deputy co-chair, as guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria, Russia and the United States must fulfil their promises to uphold it.
Ankara’s desire to reconcile with Damascus is an indicator of the deepening of Turkey’s internal conflict, Çiya Kurd said.
“Turkey has been experiencing deep international conflicts and problems recently. Due to internal problems, Turkey wants to improve its relations with all parties to eliminate tensions and prolong the current government, who fear losing the upcoming elections. The Turkish state wants to develop a similar policy in our region to improve its relations with Damascus,” he said.
Both Ankara and Damascus have concerns, defeating the autonomous administration and the Kurds for the former and opposition groups backed by Turkey for the latter, he continued. “This hostile policy will deepen the Syrian crisis, and it is not the solution to the problem.”
Turkey and the Syrian regime making a deal “will be against all Syrians”, he said. “And the Syrian people will suffer.”
A significant portion of the northern Syrian territory is under Turkish occupation, from Idlib to Ras al-Ayn, the deputy co-chair said. “Damascus establishing relations and agreements with Turkey would mean that it approves and justifies the invasion of Syria.”
Çiya Kurd said Syria had entered a necessary, new process that would affect the occupied areas. “The Turkish regime is in crisis and is not getting what it wants. Now it wants to get it by other means, via negotiations with Damascus against our region and giving up its old goals, which are no longer important.”
AANES deputy co-chair called on Damascus to resolve issues in Syria through “dialogue with the Syrian people to reach a political agreement”, as an agreement between the two countries would not serve the stability or political solution in Syria.
He also called for accountability for Turkey’s “many crimes against the people of Syria”.
“This concerns all Syrians,” he said. “We invite all Syrians, at home or abroad, to build a democratic Syria together, to strongly oppose the policies of Turkey and its crimes in the occupied territories.”
