Joint press conference by Rojava and Bashur officials in Moscow

Officials from Rojava (West) and Bashur (South) Kurdistan who attended the 6th Kurdish Conference two days ago, held a joint press briefing in Moscow today.

Officials from Rojava (West) and Bashur (South) Kurdistan who attended the 6th Kurdish Conference two days ago, held a joint press briefing in Moscow today.

The press conference at Ria Novosti News Center was attended by PYD Co-chair Asya Abdullah and Kobanê Canton Executive Council President Enwer Muslim from West Kurdistan, and Goran MP Sherko Hama Amin Qadır and PUK MP Azzat Sabir İsmail from South Kurdistan who gave details regarding their talks in Russia.

ABDULLAH: THERE CAN BE NO PROGRESS UNLESS THE KURDISH QUESTION IS RESOLVED

PYD Co-chair Asya Abdullah: "The war and chaos environment in the Middle East can be ended through not war but dialogue. The Kurdish question is one of the key problems in the Middle East. The Middle East question cannot be resolved unless the Kurdish question is resolved democratically, as was proved by the attacks on the Kurdish people and the resistance they mounted against the attacks of ISIS and other terrorist groups on Rojava. Especially the historic resistance in Kobanê is the most concrete example in this regard. The Kurdish women's resistance against ISIS fascism was closely followed by the whole world.

We side with the co-existence of all peoples, and a democratic system with common principles. The system we talk about is one in which women can represent themselves freely. We do not accept a system in which women are not represented. This is why we side with a Syrian Federation as we trust that the problem in Syria can be settled through federation. This is a system that enables all peoples to express themselves freely, as is the case in Rojava territory. We want this system to be realized for entire Syria. As was highlighted in the final declaration of the 6th Kurdish Conference, we believe that these problems can be resolved through the principles of common life and common country. We side with the freedom of all Syrian peoples and a democratic constitution with which everyone can express themselves freely. This is what we fight for. In this regard, we attach importance to Russia playing an effective role for the resolution of the Syrian problem."

QADIR: ÖCALAN MUST BE RELEASED

Goran MP Sherko Hama Amin Qadır: The Kurdish people are united more than ever. Especially when radical Islamist groups attacked Kobanê, Shengal and other regions, guerrillas and peshmergas fought on the same front. As the Goran Movement, we side with the governance of Syria with a federal system in which all peoples can govern themselves freely.

As we previously expressed our opinion regarding the problems in North Kurdistan, we demand the immediate release of Abdullah Öcalan and other political prisoners. It is known to everyone now that war and repression cannot enable a solution to the problems. We demand that the Kurdish question in North Kurdistan be resolved through dialogue and democratic criteria. There will be a referendum in Turkey, in which all Kurds should vote 'No'. We fight for the resolution of the Kurdish question in four parts of Kurdistan through democratic ways. We demand that Kurdish national congress be gathered in the soonest time in order for a comprehensive evaluation of the problems in Kurdistan, and in order for a joint struggle to be waged. All Kurdish parties should do their part for the gathering of the national congress.

MUSLİM: INTERNATIONAL POWERS SHOULD STEP IN

Kobanê Canton Executive Council President Enwer Muslim: A big war is being waged against terrorist groups in Syria. Steps have been taken in the scope of some agreements and some initiatives are taking place in order for the resolution of the Syrian problem through democratic ways. However, some powers that take advantage of this chaos environment block the ways for a solution and deepen the problem. Northern Syria territory is a house to various communities including Durzis, Alevis, Syriacs, Arabs and Kurds. We are of the opinion that the war will end once this problem is settled. We as the Kurdish side state that we are open to any dialogue for the ending of the chaos environment, and that we are ready to do our part to this end. We condemn the attacks in North Kurdistan and we support the struggle given there. International powers should step in for the immediate release of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and other political prisoners.

İSMAİL: RUSSIA SHOULD SUPPORT THE KURDISH FIGHTERS

PUK MP İzzet Sabir İsmail: A very important conference was held in Moscow two days ago. The participation of delegations from four parts of Kurdistan has manifested how close the Kurds are to one another. Russia is closely acquainted with the problems for it hosted this conference. There are various problems in each of the four parts of Kurdistan but the struggle given in all of them serves the same purpose. We still don't have an official Kurdish identity. We have given a great struggle to have 'Kurdish' written on our identity card in South Kurdistan. However, the Kurdish language is banned in other parts of Kurdistan and their identity does not read Kurdish yet. This is an unacceptable problem in today's age. The Kurdish people have achieved a unity in practical terms. Peshmergas went to Kobanê to protect it and guerrillas went to fight in South Kurdistan, which shows us how strong the spirit of unity is. During the war we waged against ISIS gangs, 2 thousand peshmergas fell martyr and 20 thousand were wounded. This reality reveals how big the war fought there is. Three months ago, peshmergas and guerrillas cleansed Kirkuk of ISIS shoulder to shoulder. On the other hand, the Mosul operation has not concluded yet and there is no remarkable progress. It is Kurds that fight against the ISIS most effectively. Russia is closely following all the developments and we ask Russian officials to support the Kurdish fighters.

Following the speeches, Kurdish officials answered questions from the press.

Answering a question "Does the Kurdish side have an alternative plan in the event that the Northern Syria project fails?", PYD Co-chair Asya Abdullah stated the followings: "The Northern Syria Federation represents not only Kurds but also all the peoples living in the region. We believe this project is the best solution for the region. Nobody has a project other than this one we have. A system based on nation state will cause a denial of other peoples, which we will not accept. The Syrian regime does not have a solution project either. Our project is approached positively in the international arena."

Asked "What does the Russia-Turkey-Iran relation mean to you?", Abdullah gave the following answer: "We are not against the development of relations among these forces. Turkey wants to invade the Syrian border and causes civilian casualties along the border line, in addition to deaths in al-Bab and it is threatening the Efrîn Canton on the other hand. If Turkey threatens liberated areas, this threat is a problem for everyone. If we all are fighting against ISIS, why does Turkey attack us? Doesn't this aggression constitute a support to the ISIS?"