Rojava ruling, opposition parties name joint delegation for Damascus talks
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish ruling and opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Wednesday announced the members of a joint delegation to discuss Kurdish demands with Damascus.
The delegation, led by Rojava’s ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) co-chair Perwin Yousef and the opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) president Mohammed Ismail, is set to officially present a list of Kurdish demands in Damascus, which includes decentralization, as agreed upon during a historic intra-Kurdish conference in Qamishli in late April.
Among the members are senior PYD member Aldar Xelil, Kongra Star spokesperson Rihan Loqo, Nasraddin Ibrahim, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Kurd in Syria (al-Parti), Ahmed Sulaiman, deputy leader of the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria, senior ENKS member Sulaiman Oso, and ENKS spokesperson Faysal Yousef, according to a joint statement by the delegation members.
The statement said that the delegation held its founding meeting on Wednesday in the presence of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi, Rohilat Afrin, commander of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), and Elham Ahmad, foreign relations co-chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).
“It will assume its duties within the next few days,” it added.
In late April, the Kurdish Unity and Consensus in Western Kurdistan Conference was held in Qamishli, gathering over 400 Kurds from Syria, the Kurdistan Region, and Turkey.
The conference’s final statement recommended that its vision be adopted as a foundation for national dialogue among Kurdish political groups, the new administration in Damascus, and all Syrian forces. It said the goal is to create an inclusive Syria that respects the rights of all communities and strengthens the country’s role as a stabilizing force in the region.
Damascus condemned the conference, viewing it as a separatist move. However, SDF chief Abdi emphasized during the event that the aim of the conference was to strengthen Syria, not divide it.
Kurds in Rojava, like other minorities in Syria, are concerned about the centralization of power and reliance on Islamic jurisprudence in the transitional constitution that has been adopted by the interim government in Damascus.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to form an “inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity,” but has faced domestic and international criticism that he has marginalized minority communities.
The delegation, led by Rojava’s ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) co-chair Perwin Yousef and the opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) president Mohammed Ismail, is set to officially present a list of Kurdish demands in Damascus, which includes decentralization, as agreed upon during a historic intra-Kurdish conference in Qamishli in late April.
Among the members are senior PYD member Aldar Xelil, Kongra Star spokesperson Rihan Loqo, Nasraddin Ibrahim, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Kurd in Syria (al-Parti), Ahmed Sulaiman, deputy leader of the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria, senior ENKS member Sulaiman Oso, and ENKS spokesperson Faysal Yousef, according to a joint statement by the delegation members.
The statement said that the delegation held its founding meeting on Wednesday in the presence of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi, Rohilat Afrin, commander of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), and Elham Ahmad, foreign relations co-chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).
“It will assume its duties within the next few days,” it added.
In late April, the Kurdish Unity and Consensus in Western Kurdistan Conference was held in Qamishli, gathering over 400 Kurds from Syria, the Kurdistan Region, and Turkey.
The conference’s final statement recommended that its vision be adopted as a foundation for national dialogue among Kurdish political groups, the new administration in Damascus, and all Syrian forces. It said the goal is to create an inclusive Syria that respects the rights of all communities and strengthens the country’s role as a stabilizing force in the region.
Damascus condemned the conference, viewing it as a separatist move. However, SDF chief Abdi emphasized during the event that the aim of the conference was to strengthen Syria, not divide it.
Kurds in Rojava, like other minorities in Syria, are concerned about the centralization of power and reliance on Islamic jurisprudence in the transitional constitution that has been adopted by the interim government in Damascus.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to form an “inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity,” but has faced domestic and international criticism that he has marginalized minority communities.