The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria stated that settling Syrian refugees in areas that do not belong to them is dangerous and that they aim to change the demographic structure of the region.

The Autonomous Administration released the following statement on Wednesday after reports that Turkey will resettle the Syrian refugees it is currently housing in the occupied territories in North-East Syria:

“The Turkish state is still Ottomanizing the territory and pursuing colonial policies. It does it openly by funding terrorists and gangs, enforcing Turkish as the official language, and altering the demographic structure and identity of the occupied territories. It demonstrates its desire to exploit these regions as a blackmail tactic against Syria and its people. The activities carried out by the Turkish state for ostensibly security reasons were intended to carry out their policies.

COLONIAL POLICIES

With the settlement schemes executed in Syria and the latest buffer zone project, the Turkish state now attempts to foment conflict among Syrians in order to accomplish its own goals and policies. The Turkish state is constructing colonial houses with the assistance of numerous associations from Qatar, Kuwait, and the region. It thus provides accommodation for persons who are not linked with the region. This helps Erdogan's objective of changing the demographic structure and implementing its colonial project. As a result, any participation in this project means that the genocidal campaign and demographic change against the region and our people will continue. No party should be an instrument of the Turkish state's project and politics.

The project of resettling Syrian refugees in locations that do not belong to them is risky and aims to alter the region's demographic structure. The Turkish state wishes to build a belt in some areas in order to displace Syrians. This is reminiscent of the Arab belt established by the Baath regime in the 1970s. The two projects have the same goal. They intend to alter the region's true demographic structure.

‘WE SHOULD NOT BE FOOLED BY THESE PLANS'

We emphasize that the dangers of Erdogan's new initiative must be understood, and we urge the Syrian people not to be misled by these ideas. The Syrian people have no interest in coming here. Such projects against the Syrian people should be prohibited by international legal bodies and agencies. We will fight projects that seek to devastate and split Syria. We support the voluntary return of all Syrians who have fled their homes due to the conflict.”