Former PYD Co-chair Saleh Moslem spoke in a seminar in the Swedish Parliament on invitation from government coalition partner Social Democratic Workers’ Party and the Greens and stated that the Turkish army is fighting alongside ISIS gangs, and that Turkey plans to turn Afrin into a capital for terrorists.

Greens MP and Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Member Valter Mutt gave the opening speech, and after condemning the invasion of Afrin by the Turkish army and the FSA gangs said he stands with the people of Afrin and YPG/YPJ forces resisting against the invasion.

Mutt said the saying “Kurds have no friends but the mountains” is not true and that “Kurds have friends who support them here and throughout the world.”

Social Democratic Workers’ Party MP and Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Member Anders Österberg stated that his party’s Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee members had issued a joint call and demanded Turkey stop their bombings and attacks against Afrin.

TURKEY FEARS THE SYSTEM IN ROJAVA

The TEV-DEM Foreign Relations Officer and former PYD Co-chair started his speech by celebrating Newroz for all and said this year’s Newroz celebrations are a bit sour due to the Turkish state invasion and massacres in Afrin.

Moslem stated that diverse peoples forming democratic cantons where they live together in fraternity in Rojava disturbs the Turkish state and added: “Turkey doesn’t want to recognize the same rights for its own Kurdish citizens, that is why they fear the system in Rojava and want to end it.”

TURKEY ENTERED AFRIN ALONG WITH 3.000 ISIS MEMBERS

Moslem said the Turkish regime, which used to support gangs like ISIS in Syria to make them attack Kurds, is now entering a war directly and said the following on the strategy the Kurds will follow:

“We will of course defend ourselves. For us, Afrin has not been lost yet. There are those who fight the invaders in and around Afrin. We want a democratic social order where diverse ethnic groups live together, but Turkey is against this idea. That is why Turkey entered Afrin along with some 3.000 terrorists who fled Raqqa and Kobanê.”

TURKEY WANTS TO SETTLE ISLAMIST MILITANTS IN IDLIB IN AFRIN

Moslem stated that Turkey’s goal is to implement an ethnic cleansing in Afrin and to expel Kurds from their lands and said: “Now, they want Kurds to leave Afrin. I fear an ethnic cleansing. Right now, there are tens of thousands of Islamist militants living in Idlib. Turkey’s goal is to settle them in Afrin along with their families. We hope the world won’t let this happen. We should remember that ISIS may have lost strength in Syria, but there are many sleeper cells within Turkey.”

WESTERNERS TURN A BLIND EYE TOWARDS ERDOĞAN’S BARBARISM

Moslem accused Western countries of turning a blind eye towards Erdoğan’s barbarism and, on the reason for their silence, said: “European countries don’t want the Syrian Arabs in Turkey to come to Europe, and Erdoğan is using the leverage of refugees very well. He blackmails Europe by saying if they don’t sell weapons to Turkey or if they criticize Turkey, they will send millions of refugees to their shores.”

Moslem also criticized the silence of the rest of the world in the face of Turkish state attacks: “They should have complied with international treaties they have signed. For instance, the United Nations issued a resolution for a month-long ceasefire throughout Syria. Sweden took the initiative on this. But they acted like Afrin was not in Syria. I criticize Sweden and the Swedish Foreign Minister the most on this issue. They didn’t support the proposal they themselves submitted. And they still haven’t condemned Erdoğan,” said Moslem in reaction to Sweden’s policies.

Moslem also said Kurdish forces were not included in meetings held for Syria in Sochi, Geneva and Astana: “Even though we control a part of Syria, they don’t want us to be in those meetings so their relationship with Turkey won’t suffer.”

Behind the platforms where the speakers sat, a large Swedish flag was placed, along with smaller Rojava and Swedish flags.

JABAR AMIR: “MOSLEM HAS BEEN INVITED BY GOVERNING PARTIES”

Greens MP Jabar Amin who took on the task to organize the seminar said the following on the seminar held in the parliament:

“Today an important and historic seminar was held in the Swedish Parliament. Moslem was invited by governing parties the Social Democrats and the Greens to come and speak in the seminar. This is a very positive thing. This seminar was held with participation from MPs, NGOs and national and international media. In very plain terms, Moslem spoke about what has been happening in Afrin and what needs to be done by the international community to stop Turkey’s attacks.”

GREAT INTEREST FROM MEDIA

After the seminar ended, Moslem held a press conference in the parliament for Swedish, Kurdish and international media.

Swedish news agency TT, Swedish state television, Swedish state radio, the Aftobladet newspaper (with a circulation of 820.000) and AFP and Le Monde interviewed Moslem.

In the press conference, Moslem stated that they withdrew from Afrin as a tactic to prevent the complete destruction of Afrin and further civilian massacres, and said the following on the atrocities of the invaders:

“They looted everything. Civilians were abducted. We don’t know what they will do with them. There is a calamity, but the struggle continues. There is no other choice. This will be a long war.”

Moslem said the Turkish state invaded Afrin along with some 3.000 ISIS members: “We are in possession of documents that prove this. People who fought for ISIS before are now with the Turkish state.”

Moslem visited the Kurdistanis holding a hunger strike in solidarity with Afrin on the Sergel Square after leaving the parliament.

Stockholm Deputy Mayor Ann-Margarethe Livh invited Saleh Moslem to the city hall and they held a meeting with the city government in the evening.