Bedran Çiya Kurd, Co-Chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), spoke to ANHA about the 20th Astana meeting, the accusations against the Autonomous Administration and the solution to the Syrian problem.

'The Astana group is moving to a new stage'

Commenting on the Astana meeting, Çiya Kurd spoke of the transition of the Astana group to a new stage and said: “We did not expect anything different from the Astana meeting. The political approach of these meetings has been clear from the very beginning. The topics discussed since 2017 and the views on the Syrian issue are already known by the public. The Damascus government has also attended the recent meetings, becoming a part of the Astana group. Now, the Astana group is moving to a new stage. There are a few fundamental problems that will be discussed in this new stage. One of these issues is cooperation on border issues and the fight against terrorism. Their definition of terrorism was set at the will of the Turkish state. The Autonomous Administration, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurds are seen as terrorists. It is possible that some groups in Idlib also fall under this definition at the request of the Damascus government.”

'Accusation against AANES is Turkey's demand'

Bedran Çiya Kurd denounced the declaration of the meeting, which called the Autonomous Administration a project to divide Syria, saying that this was a great hypocrisy. Çiya Kurd pointed out that the accusation against the Autonomous Administration was a demand by the Turkish state. He continued: “The Autonomous Administration has openly expressed that it is a Syrian national project and seeks a solution within Syria. During the meeting, there was no talk of the governments under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Muslim Brotherhood, although the projects being implemented there under the auspices of Turkey are well known to be occupation projects aimed at dividing Syria. Still, they always resort to accusing the Autonomous Administration and the SDF. It indicates that the Turkish state puts all its weight in these meetings and strives for the results to be as it wants. Claims that the Autonomous Administration threatens the national security of Turkey are false. It is indeed the Turkish state that threatens the national security of Syria and the regions of North and East Syria. During the meeting, they did not talk about the invasion of the Turkish state or the mercenary groups under its control. It is understood that the declaration of these talks is in line with Turkey's desires and wishes.”

‘The situation will become even more complicated and worse for everyone’

Bedran Çiya Kurd pointed out that: “Now, after this meeting, the focus will be on the relations between Turkey and Syria. They will seek to develop relations between Damascus and Ankara and intensify agreements, and this will be particularly in the military, intelligence and security aspects. There is talk of a Russian plan to create rapprochement between the two sides. They will work on how the two regimes can agree and cooperate with each other. Many alliances will be formed against the people of the region, the Autonomous Administration and the Syrians. This is a very serious mistake of the Damascus government and poses a great danger. It would be a wrong policy for Syria to cooperate with the Turkish state, which would put Syria's sovereignty and unity in jeopardy. Therefore, the Damascus government should review itself and not fall into these mistakes. In this way, the Syrian crisis will move to a new phase, and the situation will become even more complicated and worse for everyone in the region."

‘All violations against Syrian territory should be equally denounced’

Pointing to the meeting’s discussion of the Israeli attacks and humanitarian problems in Syria, Bedran Çiya Kurd said: “The meeting discussed the humanitarian problems in Syria, how to lift economic sanctions, increase humanitarian aid, and start reconstruction. However, the position of countries supporting humanitarian issues is clear, as they say it is not possible to start the reconstruction process in Syria unless there is a political change. The participants of the meeting condemned the Israeli attacks on Syria as a violation of international law. This is hypocrisy, because the Turkish state attacks our areas daily, killing civilians, but no one talks about these attacks or raises their voices. These attacks have also resulted in the loss of many soldiers of the Damascus government, but they are not talked about either. All violations against Syrian territory should be equally denounced and a stance should be taken. Serious decisions must be taken to end the occupation and stop Turkish attacks.”

‘The Kurdish issue in Syria is a matter of democracy’

In an interview with a Russian media outlet during the meeting in Astana, Ayman Sousan, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, stated that the Kurdish file would be completely closed with the US’ withdrawal from Syria. Bedran Çiya Kurd defined this evaluation as “wrong and inadequate interpretation” and said: “The Kurdish issue in Syria is a matter of democracy that did not emerge due to the presence or absence of the US in the region. It is a national issue that has existed in Syria for decades. Therefore, it must be treated and resolved within a democratic framework. If the Damascus government believes that America will withdraw, and that it will control everywhere and eliminate everything pertaining to the Kurds and democracy, it is mistaken. It is not possible to solve the problems in Syria in this way. The way to a solution is through a real and serious dialogue that leads to an agreement among all the Syrian parties. If the Damascus government happens to think of resolving it in any other way, it will be a mistake and push the region towards a bigger crisis out of control. The Damascus government should not think that its relations with the Arab countries and with Turkey will improve, nor that it will be able to solve all its problems without reaching a political agreement or political change. Syrian problems cannot be solved based on these accounts. Because this country needs a political change. In this way, problems can be prevented.”

‘Dialogue has been suspended’

Ayman Soussan stated in the same meeting that they do not have any relations with the Autonomous Administration, but that their dialogue is progressing with some Kurdish parties. “There have been several attempts for dialogue with the Damascus government through Russia, but they failed. The dialogue is still suspended and this is because of the mentality of the Damascus government and its lack of openness to change. They think that ‘If Turkey attacks, we will subjugate the Autonomous Administration, and if the US withdraws, we will fill the void’. For this reason, they do not think that there is a need for dialogue with the Autonomous Administration and the people of the region. The Damascus government should come into contact with the people of North and East Syria, including the Kurds, and develop a serious dialogue. Otherwise, if it wants to generate alternatives for itself and ignores the status quo in North and East Syria, it will be deceiving itself. For the sake of dialogue and solution, it should address the Autonomous Administration, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and their institutions.”

Who are these Kurdish parties?

Bedran Çiya Kurd explained that they do not know who the Kurdish parties are, which the Damascus government says it is talking to. He pointed out that there can be no other interlocutors for a solution other than the Autonomous Administration. "Perhaps they mean some people who have no authority and effect, whom they consider to be representatives of the Kurds and the region. If this is the case, it is not appropriate and unacceptable to the local people. The Damascus government should negotiate with the main interlocutors, and if it ignores these interlocutors, then it means that the government has no intention of developing a solution.”

Obstacles to dialogue

Regarding the obstacles that stand in the way of dialogue between Damascus and Qamishlo, Çiya Kurd stated: “The mentality of the Damascus government stands as an obstacle to political dialogue. It is a serious problem in the development of dialogue. There have been several talks but the Damascus government's insistence on returning to pre-2011 has prevented success. The guarantor countries do not have projects for a solution, thus allowing the Damascus government to stick to its position. The dividedness among Syrian parties and the lack of a joint alternative project and political change also constitute a problem. The Autonomous Administration can, without any doubt, become part of the solution as a political and democratic project, but it cannot advance the political solution in Syria on its own because the Syrian crisis has become a regional and international issue that involves many parties and forces. There are many obstacles to the Autonomous Administration inside and outside Syria. There is a political struggle. Work is underway to form a democratic front with the democratic opposition groups."