The ENKS, an umbrella group of Kurdish opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava), met on Sunday in Qamishli to discuss the latest developments in Syria, following the collapse of Assad’s regime.
“The participants emphasized the need for Kurdish unity and the importance of safeguarding Kurdish areas from further interventions or invasions,” the ENKS said in a statement.
The participants also “stressed the urgency of engaging with authorities in Damascus to clarify the Council’s stance on Syria’s future. This vision includes constitutional recognition of the Kurdish people and their national rights within a decentralized Syria.”
This comes a day after Mazloum Abdi, chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), called on Kurdish parties in Rojava to form a unified front ahead of national Syrian dialogue.
“Today, Kurdish national unity in Syria has become a historic necessity in response to the challenges of this critical phase. We call on all Kurdish parties to set aside partisan interests and genuinely engage with public calls for dialogue and unity,” Abdi said on X.
He urged Kurdish parties in Rojava to overcome their differences so that Kurds can “adopt a unified stance in support of dialogue in Syria and participate in shaping a democratic and diverse future for the country.”
The calls for a unified Kurdish front come amid efforts to resume talks between feuding Kurdish parties in Rojava.
Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last week, the Kurdish National Unity Parties (PYNK) expressed readiness to return to talks with the ENKS. The PYNK is a coalition of 24 parties that have close ties with Rojava’s ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and have representatives in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).
ENKS spokesperson Faysal Yusuf told Rudaw on Saturday that his front is ready for resuming talks, but they have not received a request from the PYNK.
Yusuf believes that after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, they should send a message to neighboring countries, the new authorities in Syria, and the Syrian people that “we as the Kurdish people have our own characteristics and are not dependent on anyone. Therefore, we must focus on this message, not on each side having its own position and demands.”
Kurds were systematically discriminated against under the former Syrian regime. During the civil war, they carved out an autonomous area in the north where they sought to promote diversity and tolerance.