Syria

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani takes part in a joint press conference with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during their joint press conference, in Ankara on January 15, 2025. Photo: Adem Altan/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurds in Syria add “beauty and brilliance” to the country and were mistreated by the previous regime but the new administration is working to preserve the country’s diversity, Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani said on Wednesday.
“The Kurds in Syria add beauty and brilliance to the diversity of the Syrian people. The Kurdish community in Syria has been wronged by the [Bashar al-] Assad regime,” Shaibani said on X in Kurdish.
He stressed that the new Syrian administration is working to ensure that diversity is upheld in the country.
But Damascus has been adamant about rejecting federalism and Kurdish self-rule in the country, with many Syrians and foreign powers worried that the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly an al-Qaeda affiliate, may impose strict Islamic rule on threatened minority groups such as Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites.
Elham Ahmad, foreign relations co-chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), commended Shaibani’s remarks, calling them a “place of honor for the Kurds.”
“The Kurds will bring their own color to Syrian society when their rights are guaranteed in the constitution. We will build together a new Syria that is diverse, inclusive, and decentralized,” Ahmad said on X.
Intra-Kurdish unity talks between Kurdish ruling and opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) are also underway to present a united front in Damascus to negotiate with Syrian authorities on the future of the country.
“The Kurds in Syria add beauty and brilliance to the diversity of the Syrian people. The Kurdish community in Syria has been wronged by the [Bashar al-] Assad regime,” Shaibani said on X in Kurdish.
He stressed that the new Syrian administration is working to ensure that diversity is upheld in the country.
But Damascus has been adamant about rejecting federalism and Kurdish self-rule in the country, with many Syrians and foreign powers worried that the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly an al-Qaeda affiliate, may impose strict Islamic rule on threatened minority groups such as Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites.
Elham Ahmad, foreign relations co-chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), commended Shaibani’s remarks, calling them a “place of honor for the Kurds.”
“The Kurds will bring their own color to Syrian society when their rights are guaranteed in the constitution. We will build together a new Syria that is diverse, inclusive, and decentralized,” Ahmad said on X.
Intra-Kurdish unity talks between Kurdish ruling and opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) are also underway to present a united front in Damascus to negotiate with Syrian authorities on the future of the country.
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