A UK-EU parliamentary delegation visited northeastern Syria (Rojava) to discuss the region’s political future and constitutional process in post-Assad Syria with local officials. During their meeting with prominent Kurdish diplomat Ilham Ahmed, the delegation focused on inclusive participation in Syria’s new constitution and the escalating humanitarian impact of Turkish attacks.
The delegation, consisting of 14 parliamentarians from the UK and Europe, met with officials from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), including Ahmed, on 15 April, following a brief visit to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where they met with leaders Masrour and Massoud Barzani to discuss Abdullah Öcalan’s 27 February peace call. The delegation then went on to meet with representatives from the Syriac Council and later the AANES.
Madira Gavriye, who serves as the Foreign Relations Representative of the Syriac Council, a political body representing the Syriac (Assyrian) Christian community in northeastern Syria, welcomed the delegation. She described the precarious situation facing minorities in the region, citing forced mass migration as well as attacks carried out by Turkey-backed armed groups. Gavriye also highlighted the deliberate cutting off of vital water sources to the region by Turkish forces.
Following this meeting, the delegation met with Co-Chair Ilham Ahmed of the AANES’s Foreign Relations department to address constitutional developments and local progress on implementing the recent landmark state-integration agreement between the SDF and Damascus. She stressed the need for inclusive participation in the constitutional process and noted that new committees will be formed in the coming days to ensure broad representation.
Ahmed also underscored that US sanctions must be lifted for economic stability and humanitarian welfare. Denouncing Turkish military attacks in the region, she echoed Gavriye’s comments about assaults on critical infrastructure, warning that one million civilians in the Hasakah (Hesekê) canton currently lack access to clean drinking water.
The Kurdish diplomat also criticised the interim Syrian government for maintaining a Salafist ideology and intolerance to the multicultural character of the Syrian populace. She urged the delegation to recognise that the Al-Sharaa-led government’s actions are inconsistent with the inclusive image it presents to the international community.
Next, the European delegation is scheduled to meet with the SDF and General Commander Mazloum Abdi. Discussions are expected to focus on ongoing clashes with Turkey and its proxy forces, as well as initiatives to promote regional stability through the creation of a unified Syrian army.
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