The Assembly of North and East Syrian Opinion Leaders issued a written statement in response to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad who claimed that there was no Kurdish question in Turkey and accused Kurds of seperatism.

The statement said al-Assad, who spoke at a time when all peoples and beliefs living in Syria were waiting for a solution to the crisis, ignored an ancient people of the region without offering any solution.

The Opinion Leaders Assembly said that its calls to not recognise the occupation and presence of foreign powers in Syria had gone unheard and reiterated that dialogue within Syria should be developed for the permanent solution of the Syrian crisis. The statement emphasized that Arab, Kurdish, Syriac and other peoples and beliefs, who are now living a common life in northern and eastern Syria, had lived on these lands before the Syrian state was created, and added: "Arab, Kurdish and Syriac people are the ancient peoples of this lands. No matter who does it, we want accept any statement against these peoples."

The Leaders reiterated that "The remarks of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad do not serve the establishment of a Syria within the framework of equal citizenship and the permanent solution of the crisis. The Arab, Kurdish, Syriac, Chaldean and Assyrian folks are the ancient peoples of these lands. The peoples continue their resistance against terrorism and occupation under the roof of an administration they established. They are also struggling for the construction of a democratic, multicolored and decentralized Syria."

The statement ended by underlining that the existence of Syria could be possible by democratization and guaranteeing the rights of individuals belonging to any people, and added that the "Kurdish problem should be solved to allow a permanent solution."