Spanish MEP Javier Nart speaking to Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih on June 2, 2022. Photo Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Spanish Member of the European Parliament Javier Nart described the current situation in northeast Syria (Rojava) as “very, very dangerous,” and one to which the “international community is turning a blind eye,” in an extensive sit-down interview with Rudaw on Thursday, covering the politician’s reflections on his recent visit.
“The stupid and criminal mistakes that are made in the United Nations by the superpowers [are made] thinking that the actors on the ground are like puppets and they are not, they are absolutely real,” Nart, who sits on the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Security and Defense Subcommittee, told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih.
Directly addressing the issue of Turkey, and the latest threat presented by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Nart criticized the leader for his “short-sighted” behavior, which he compared to that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “NATO today is opening their arms to Finland and Sweden,” he said, suggesting that this was encouraging Erdogan to seize the moment in taking territory in Syria, emboldened by a potential lack of consequence. “Erdogan is playing a dangerous and short-sighted game,” he warned.
Rumours of a military operation in northern Syria have abounded in recent weeks, with Erdogan announcing on Wednesday that Turkey is clearing regions in northern Syria of “terrorists,” referring to Kurdish fighters in the area, and claiming that they are part of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) but using different labels in an attempt to deceive the public.
The spokesperson to the United Nations Secretary-General urged all parties to "exercise maximum restraint" in Syria when questioned about Turkey's plan to launch a new military offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria on Thursday, chiming with comments made by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken who urged Turkey to maintain the current ceasefire lines in northern Syria the previous day in a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
General commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi warned on Thursday that a new Turkish operation in northern Syria will lead to a “humanitarian crisis,” and that such an offensive was detrimental to the people of the country, as well as the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
Nart visited the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria’s (NES) foreign relations department on a trip to Rojava on Tuesday, where he was received by Abdulkarim Omar, the co-chair of the department, and other officials. The discussion covered Syria’s political process as well as possible solutions, with Omar warning against possible Turkish aggression on Syrian land, calling it “a new opportunity for the Islamic State to reorganize itself and launch terrorist operations,” according to a statement from the department.
“The problem is that Erdogan thinks that he can take the risk,” Nart said, when asked whether Kurds will pay the political price for the war in Ukraine. “If he thinks in that way, I can tell you that from the European Union, we will do everything to create… a real decision for Turkey to not be free from this approach.”
“They [Kurds in Syria] have to get a realistic approach to the situation in the region,” Nart added, stressing that they must trust themselves above all actors, including the US and the European Union, as well as the Syrian regime and Russia. “They cannot give any pretext to Turkey to intervene,” he said. “The problems of Kurds in Turkey is a problem that the Kurds in Turkey have to deal with.”
Discussing relations between officials in the Kurdistan Region and those in Rojava, Nart acknowledged the tensions, and suggested that a greater bout of realism on both sides would be beneficial. In the politician’s opinion, it was a “wise approach” - and one akin to the Kurdistan Region’s position - for the administration of northeast Syria to distance itself from the rest of the country. In his concluding remarks, Nart expressed his admiration for the Kurdistan Region’s officials, and his recent meeting with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.
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