Kurdish leaders and delegates at Saturday’s Rojava Kurdish Unity and Common Stance Conference in Qamishli (Qamişlo), North and East Syria, urged unity to secure rights in a democratic Syria. The event, attended by 400 delegates from Syria, Iraq and Turkey, featured speeches and messages linking current efforts to past struggles like the Kobanê Resistance against the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014–2015.
Mazloum Abdi, commander of Kurdish-led military coalition the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), opened the conference, stressing that Kurdish unity strengthens Syria. “Kurdish unity is Syria’s unity,” he said, dedicating the event to over 13,000 fighters who died in conflicts in Syria.
Masoud Barzani, leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), sent a message which was read out by his representative, Dr Hemîd Derbendî. He described the conference as “an important step” toward Syrian Kurdish unity, expressing hope for constitutional recognition of Kurdish rights and regional stability.
The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), a coalition advocating democratic confederalism, hailed the conference as “a historic milestone”, adding, “It is the time of the Kurds, the time for Kurdish freedom,” invoking Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), whose calls for unity inspired the event.
Participants echoed these calls. Emin Babaşêx of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) pledged support for Syrian Kurds, urging collective struggle. Zeynep Mûradî of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) linked the conference to the legacy of solidarity inspired by the Kobanê Resistance. Keskin Bayındır of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) laid an emphasis on Öcalan’s vision, stating that Kurdish unity is the foundation for peace.
The speeches highlighted the role of the conference in uniting diverse Kurdish factions. Delegates aim to use this unity as a lever to secure rights through dialogue with Syria’s new government, building on the multi-ethnic governance model of the region.
