Armenian Union Party member Yûsif Derwêş spoke to ANF about the agreement between the Damascus Administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the massacres against Alawites in Syria.

Pointing to attempts to rebuild Syria with international balances, Yûsif Derwêş said, “Everyone knows those who came to power. They have a history of terror. Their goal with coming to power was not to embrace all peoples, yet they talk about change. In a short period of time, they got involved with international powers. Political balances change every day and they determine their positions accordingly.”

SDF brings together different components

Yûsif Derwêş pointed out that there is a big difference between the interim administration of Damascus and the SDF, saying: “The SDF is a military force that brings together different components. They have common goals, thoughts and objectives. It has a common mindset where different peoples come together. It defends the freedom of peoples and acts in their interests. All components, from Armenians to Syriacs, find a represenration in the SDF, but those who rule Damascus are fragmented and do not seem to act in line with a common goal and objective. HTS does not have the power to control all groups.”

The perpetrators of the massacres against Alawites must be put on trial

Yûsif Derwêş condemned the massacre of Alawites in coastal cities and said, “Those who govern Damascus should have prevented the massacre of Alawites. While there should have been an intervention against these attacks, the aggression reached the level of massacre. Alawites were slaughtered without even discriminating the children or the elderly. If we are determined that the future of Syria will be bright, this massacre should not have happened. The perpetrators of these massacres must be put on trial in Syrian and international courts.”

They realized that they cannot govern Syria with a monist mentality

Yûsif Derwêş criticized the lack of representation of Syrian peoples in the 'Syrian Dialogue Conference' and continued: “The conference was based on one color and one mentality did not gain acceptance. We do not think that a monist mentality can solve the Syrian crisis. With the agreement between the SDF and Damascus, they realized that they cannot govern Syria with a monist mentality. The important thing is to guarantee the future of Syria.”

The future of Syria is the Democratic Autonomous Administration model

Yûsif Derwêş stated that an agreement was reached with the Damascus administration thanks to the resistance of the SDF and the achievements of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria: “There is autonomy in North and East Syria and it is powerful like the SDF. It has the power to be self-sufficient even without such an agreement. It is organized from education to the economy, diplomacy, politics and military dimension. Still, it is in favor of unity. With this agreement, it can be said that the future of Syria has been clarified to some extent. In Syria, peoples other than the Arabs used to be ignored. Most Kurds were not considered citizens, while Armenians were considered to belong to Armenia. The agreement states that the rights of the peoples will be respected regardless of religious and ethnic discrimination. This is the result of the Autonomous Administration's program, its struggle and what it has created. The future of Syria is the Democratic Autonomous Administration model of North and East Syria.”

Call for democratic politics

Yûsif Derwêş emphasized the importance of silencing the guns and building democratic politics in Syria, adding: “We must build a country where the existence of peoples is recognized and where they can live their language and culture. Peoples must gain their natural rights. They should benefit from the experience of the Democratic Autonomous Administration model in North and East Syria.”