The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) is “the only system in the world today that offers a real alternative” to nation-states, said Ruben Wagensberg, a member of the Catalan parliament’s executive committee and an MP, calling for international recognition of its autonomous status.
Wagensberg told the Hawar News Agency (ANHA) in an interview on 20 October, which marked the third anniversary of the Catalan parliament’s recognition of the autonomous administration, that that recognition has strengthened relations between the two governments and led to increased cooperation in various fields.
The Catalan parliamentarian defined the autonomous administration in Syria’s northern and eastern regions, commonly known as Rojava, as a political system “based on democracy, federalism, joint administration and coexistence”.
While expressing optimism that more countries would recognise its status in the future, Wagensberg noted the obstacles created by the Syrian and Turkish states in the recognition process.
Wagensberg also mentioned his efforts in the Catalan parliament to foster political relations aimed at promoting recognition of the autonomous administration.
“We are discussing the joint administration, federalism, democracy and the system of coexistence between cultures, religions and ethnic groups as the only solution to the problems and conflicts that have been witnessed in the Middle East over the last decade”, he said.
The Parliament of Catalonia recognised the AANES in 2021. The adopted resolution also underlined Catalonia’s commitment to the reconstruction of the war-torn region and promoted Catalan-Kurdish solidarity, including the reception of refugees and an office for support of solidarity efforts.
