A delegation from the Vatican commenced a visit to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) on 4 May, meeting AANES Foreign Relations Co-Chairs Ilham Ahmed and Fener Giit in Qamishlo (Qamişlo). The delegation included Sister Theresa Elias Kanakri, of Syrian origin, Sister Nadia Amin Ghali, of Egyptian origin, and Mary Habib Keyrouz, from Lebanon. They were accompanied by Armin Mardo, co-chair of the Syriac–Assyrian Martyrs Families Foundation, and Karakious Klayjian, representative of the Raqqa Christian Religious Assembly.
The focus of the meeting was to develop deeper relationships with the Autonomous Administration and exchange gifts. After, the delegation visited the centre for the Freedom for Öcalan initiative, where they were received by spokespersons from the initative, who offered them an Arabic edition of Abdullah Öcalan’s five volume “Democratic Civilization Manifesto”. They discussed the importance of Öcalan’s call for peace and advocated for the women’s struggle in Kurdistan.
The delegation is due to visit the North and East Syrian Religious Assembly and Diplomatic Relations Bureau later in the day, and also announced its intention to visit the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Women’s Defence Unions (YPJ) and the Syriac Union Party (SUP) on 5 May. These meetings have crucial significance for the Christian community in the AANES and in Syria more generally.
