PYD Co-chair Abdullah: International powers should support the Kurds

PYD Co-chair Asya Abdullah spoke in the conference in Moscow and said, “A meeting the Kurds didn’t attend and a constitution that comes out of that won’t be binding for the Kurds. The Turkish state is a threat for us,” on the crisis in Syria.

The Kurdish Conference organized by the International Kurdish Social Institutions Union and the Russia Kurds National and Cultural Federal Autonomy continues under the title “The Third War of Allocation in the Middle East” in Russian capital Moscow.

The conference opened with a speech by Russia Kurdish Social Institutions Union Representative Araf Azamani.

Azamani strongly condemned the February 15 international conspiracy against the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan in the name of the conference.

SORO: THE CRISIS WILL BE OVERCOME THROUGH THE KURDS’ PROJECT

KNK (Kurdistan National Congress) Russia Representative Salahattin Soro said the following:

“There is no doubt that the world is experiencing a great crisis. The center of this crisis is the Middle East. One of the fundamental reasons for this crisis is the nation state. This crisis has brought about terrorist organizations like ISIS. The international powers all want to beat this and get out of this crisis.

There is a need for something new in the Middle East. How will this new thing be, there are differing opinions on that. The Middle East can no longer be ruled by nation states. The nation state system deepens the existing crisis. The Middle East needs democratic confederalism. The Kurds want to play a role in overcoming this crisis. Right now, it is the Kurds who present the most important project to overcome this crisis.

We, like all peoples, want to live on our own lands with our own identity. That doesn’t have to mean we want a separate state, we don’t care for borders. What is important to us is clearing the way for freedoms, and the Kurdish people’s freedom.

Russia is an important power, and they should also use their power for the solution of the Kurdish issue, and against the international conspiracy developed against the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan.”

BAGDASAROV: RUSSIA SHOULD SUPPORT ROJAVA

Middle East and Central Asia Research Center Chairperson Simyon Bagdasarov said the following:

“For the first time, Kurdish parties have come together on such a level. This is a good answer for all those groups that say the Kurds can’t come together. Russia has kept their relationship with Kurds at a high level since the Syrian issue broke out. They have a significant relationship with PYD and YPG. I believe the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East are deepening the crisis, rather than moving towards a solution. In short, those who expect the crisis to be solved through them are delusional.

Last year, talks between the regime and the Kurds were to start. In these talks, the autonomous regions demanded by the Kurds would be assessed. In these talks, I believe the project presented by the Kurds is important, and there should be an agreement within the framework they propose. Turkey intervenes in the region and doesn’t want the Kurds to have a status. After they entered Jarablus, they moved towards Bab but I believe these attempts are in vain. The international powers are ignoring Turkey’s policy against the Kurds. They attacked civilian residential areas in Rojava and Northern Kurdistan, and caused the deaths of many, many civilians. But because Turkey is a member of NATO, there is silence. I don’t think Russia will be silent in the face of such events. Russia can support the Kurds much more in Rojava. Europe is arming the peshmerge, we can arm the YPG. There is no reason why this shouldn’t happen.”

ABDULLAH: WE WON’T RECOGNIZE A CONSTITUTION PREPARED WITHOUT KURDS

PYD (Democratic Union Party) Co-chair Asya Abdullah condemned the February 15 conspiracy in the beginning of her speech, and then stated the followings:

“Millions of people have been displaced. Hundreds of thousands are dead. There is an important coalition against ISIS terror. The international powers should support the Kurds against this inhuman terror organization. For the last year, there has been a coalition, but since the beginning, the Kurds have fought ISIS and other terror groups like them through their own will, without anybody’s support. It’s not possible to speak of a solution in Syria as long as there is conflict between international powers and local forces. Especially as long as Turkey’s support for ISIS terror continues, beating them and achieving stability in the region will be very hard. Turkey doesn’t want the Kurds to have a claim in Syria. To that end, they even openly support terrorist organizations that are the enemy of the whole world like ISIS. International powers can give a mission to the Kurds and void Turkey. The Kurds need to be there in the Genova 4 talks especially. A meeting that the Kurds have not attended, and a constitution to come out of that won’t be binding for the Kurds. The will of the people should be reflected in the Syrian constitution to be prepared. Gender equality should be included. All groups in society should be able to find themselves in there. If there is a constitution on this bsais, then we can talk about the democracy and justice in the society. Russia prepared a draft constitution for Syria. The draft talks of Kurdish Autonomy. Our issue wasn’t the autonomies. We are proposing a system that we can govern ourselves more freely.”

“THE TURKISH STATE IS A THREAT FOR US”

The Turkish state is a threat for us. Turkey strikes us with their fighter jets in front of the whole world. Before, it was the regime jets that hit us. Now it’s Turkey’s jets. Turkey shoots everybody on the border, including women and children. Why are the international powers silent? A state that supports ISIS this openly shouldn’t be able to do whatever they want.

We are ready for dialogue to solve the Syrian issue through democratic means. To this end, we have proposals and meetings. The Northern Syria Federation is a part of Syria. The Syrian regime needs to accept this. Any decisions regarding us made in a meeting we haven’t attended will not be binding for us. The Syrian regime still think they can rule Syria like in the past. Those days are gone for Syria. That is not possible anymore.”

PARTICIPANTS

The conference is attended by the following:

HDP Urfa MPs Osman Baydemir, Dilek Öcalan, Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s lawyer Ebru Günay, PYD Co-chair Asya Abdullah and Kobanê Canton Executive Assembly Chairperson Enwer Muslim from Rojava, YNK MP Ezzat Sabır İsmail, Goran MP Şerko Hama Amin from Southern Kurdistan, Rodina Party Leader and MP Alexei Alexandrovich, DUMA Foreign Relations Committee Member and MP Igor Nikolayevich, Foreign Secretary Foreign Policy Department Advisor and MP Nikolai Nikolayevich, Middle East and Central Asia Research Center Chairperson Simyon Bagdasarov, Foreign Ministry Member Vasiliy Vasilyvich, Russian Strategic Research Institute Department Head Anna Glazova, Commonwealth of Independent States Countires Institute Vice President Vladimir Valiyerivich, Middle East Instiute Chairperson Yefim Leonidovich, City of Moscow Yekimanka Region MP Dimitri Alexandrovich, US and Canada Institute chair Pavel Semonovich, Geopolitical Issues Institute Chair Leonid Georgiyevich, Russian Sciences Academy World Economy and International Department Expert Stanislav Mihaliyovech, Moscow UN Information enter Chair Vlademir Vilariyevich, Russian Diasporas Union Chair Vartan Georgevich, Russian Peoples Union Chair Svetlana Konstantinovna, Eurasia Jewish Congress Public and Press Relations Department Head Roman Idelovich, Strategic Modelling Center Vice President Grigori Pavloviç, Russia Kurdish Social Institutions Union Representative Arif Azamani, Russian Federation Kurdish Cultural Autonomy Co-chairs Ferhat Patiyev and Liyana Simoyan, Adygea Kurdish Cultural Autonomy Chair Feyzo Hüseinovich, Krasnodar Kurdish Cultural Autonomy Chair İşxan Ankosi, Russia Kurdish Ezidis Congress co-chairs Cemal Şamoyan and Manana Pir, Russia Kurdish women’s movement Chair Culyeta Aram and Moscow Kurdish Women’s Organization Chair Tara Qadir and many other journalists, intellectuals and NGO members from Russia.