Syria | Kurds in Syria: Unity against Damascus

Another hurdle in the process of reorganization in Syria has been overcome. A few days ago, several hundred representatives of Kurdish organizations gathered in the northern Syrian city of Qamishli to adopt a common position on the issue of reorganizing the Syrian state following the end of dictator Assad's regime and the HTS takeover in Damascus. Previously, the date of the conference had been repeatedly postponed due to repeated disagreements among the various parties over the content of the adopted resolution.

The mere fact that such a conference took place was a minor sensation in the predominantly Kurdish northeast of Syria. The two largest Kurdish parties, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdish National Council in Syria (ENKS), had been at times deeply divided in recent years.

The conference alone is a small sensation

This is due not only to the parties' political orientation but also to their connections with other Kurdish organizations in neighboring Iraq and Turkey. While the PYD was the driving force behind the establishment of the self-government and is ideologically close to the left-wing PKK, the ENKS is particularly closely linked to the KDP in northern Iraq and is close to this more Kurdish nationalist party. The conference was preceded by repeated meetings between the two camps, including outside the country.

The document now adopted is intended to create a framework for a common negotiating position vis-à-vis Damascus and ensure that the Kurds are not weakened in the talks . In addition to Kurdish as an official language and a guarantee of citizenship for Kurds who lost it under the Assad regime, the demand for a decentralized Syria is likely to be decisive in the negotiations with the government.

Damascus rejects Kurdish autonomy

In the new Syria, the Kurdish regions are to be "united as a political and administrative unit." Previous negotiations had been unclear about the extent of the demands for political autonomy for the Kurdish regions. The new Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, had consistently rejected any attempts at autonomy.

He reiterated this position now, saying that they reject any attempt to impose a partition or introduce "separatist cantons." The unity of Syrian territory and the people is a red line. This stance is also consistent with the transitional constitution adopted in March, which minority representatives described as a continuation of the Arab nationalist course of the Assad regime. Whether the government in Damascus can maintain this position remains to be seen. Following the signing of an agreement between the SDF and al-Sharaa at the beginning of March, the first commissions between the Kurdish side and the government in Damascus are said to have already begun their work.

Syria's president must weigh up his negative stance

A de facto ceasefire in the north between the SDF and Turkish-backed militias, including the new Syrian government, was seen as another important step toward pacifying Syria. Fundamentally, al-Sharaa will have to consider how long he can maintain his complete rejection of a federal model in Syria. Not only in the Kurdish regions are the country's minorities taking a confident stance in negotiations with Damascus.

Following the massacres of the Alawite community in the west of the country, the Druze in the south are also increasingly demanding their own status and are not shying away from a confrontation with HTS. Heavy clashes reportedly broke out between HTS and Druze militias south of Damascus overnight into Tuesday.

A footnote to the conference in Qamishli was also the process initiated in Turkey between Kurdish representatives and the Turkish government. According to public announcements, it should have gained momentum following a meeting between representatives of the pro-Kurdish DEM party and Erdoğan in early April, but stalled again after one of the participants, DEM MP Sirri Sürreyya Önder, unexpectedly fell into a coma following a serious heart condition. He has been hospitalized for two weeks in critical condition. A meeting between the DEM party and the Minister of Justice was therefore postponed. At the meeting, the Kurdish side demanded improved prison conditions for political prisoners and free working conditions for PKK founder Öcalan. Practical steps are still pending.