Gavriye: Erdoğan’s goal is a genocide in North-East Syria

Nazira Gavriye is the co-chair of the autonomous administration in the Cizirê Canton. For her it is clear that Erdoğan intends a genocide in Northern and Eastern Syria / Rojava.

The co-chair of the Cizire canton, Nazira Gavriye, is in Europe for diplomatic talks with various political representatives about the ongoing Turkish invasion attacks against Northern and Eastern Syria.

For Gavriye it is clear that the Erdoğan regime wants to initiate a comprehensive ethnic cleansing in Northern Syria under the guise of alleged security concerns. She spoke to ANF about the current situation in Northern Syria.

Nazira Gavriye, who is a member of the Syriac community, first recalled the history of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire, which is full of genocides against the Christian communities of the Middle East. "With each of these genocides our number became smaller. That they are now forcing Christian clergy within Turkish borders to pray for their war of aggression in Northern Syria is extremely perfidious. Who are these soldiers who are wanted to be prayed for in the churches of the Syriacs, shooting at? The Turkish state has established a network of agents even in our churches," she said.

The politician tells us that after the First World War the Syriacs experienced a similar fate to the Kurds. For they were divided between three nation states. Especially along the Syrian-Turkish border, countless families were virtually separated. Many Syriacs later emigrated to Europe.

Call for a political solution

To overcome the current crisis in Northern Syria, Gawriye calls for a political solution in Syria. Otherwise it would be hard to imagine people being able to rebuild a safe and stable life, she says. The politician also calls on the Syrian regime not to see the current situation as an opportunity to take action against the political model of society in Northern Syria. That would, after all, entail the danger of a new armed conflict, she warns.

Turkey currently poses the greatest risk to the security of the people of Northern Syria, Gawriye says. "Turkey has played an extremely negative role in this war. It has always kept its borders open to the jihadists who have flocked to the country. Now it is occupying parts of northern Syria. Its aim is a complete occupation of its border area, which is to extend from Qamishlo to Mosul. We must prevent this together. Otherwise, the Turkish state will implement a policy of forced demographic change in these areas and expel the Kurdish, Syriac-Assyrian population,” explains Gawriye.

Erdoğan is afraid of the democratic system in Gozarto

The Christian politician makes clear with the following words that the war of aggression in Northern Syria is also an expression of Erdoğan’s fear of the democratic model of society in Northern Syria: "He wants to abolish the democratic system in Northern Syria and Gozarto (Aramaic name for Cizîrê). For this he has armed all kinds of jihadist forces. Because the social system here really worried him a lot. Here Kurds, Syriacs, Assyrians, Yazidis and Arabs have built a common life and administer themselves. On the one hand, the functioning of this democratic system has frustrated Erdoğan’s plan for Syria completely. On the other hand, Turkey has the same plurality of ethnic and religious communities as Syria. The Turkish president fears nothing more than that such a democratic social concept will also spread to Turkey. Therefore he wants to extinguish it with all means."

Nazira Gawriye, however, also makes it clear that this project of Erdoğan is not so easy to realize: "Because in Northern Syria the different ethnic groups have already fought side by side a sacrificial struggle against the ISIS. The same resistance is now being mounted by all the peoples who are self-governing in Northern Syria against the Turkish occupation.”

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