The 2nd Syrian Forum organized by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) under the motto “Historical Strategy for Kurdish-Arab Relations In Line with the Philosophy of Leader Abdullah Öcalan” kicked off in Raqqa earlier today.

The workshop will discuss the strategic role of Arab-Kurdish relations in resolving the Syrian crisis and the crises in the Middle East and the importance of an Arab-Kurdish agreement, unity and solidarity in resolving the current crises.

The workshop sees the participation of many people, including the Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) Executive Board Co-Chair Ilham Ehmed, PYD Co-Chair Salih Muslim, PYD members from Raqqa, Tabqa, Manbij and Kobane, members of the Future Syria Party, Conservative Party, Syrian National Social Party, lawyers and human rights activists from North-East Syria, members of Zenûbiya Women’s Community, Syrian Women’s Council, as well as independent female politicians, notables of tribes from Deir ez-Zor, Manbij, Raqqa and Tabqa, and representatives of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

Speaking here, PYD Co-Chair Salih Muslim talked about the importance and motives of the workshop, which, he said, would also discuss the repression of governing powers and strategic relations.

“The Middle East remained under Ottoman occupation and exploitation for 400 years. After the founding of the nation state, French and English occupation used it to inflict a blow on the Ottoman Empire and to weaken and blow it down. Then, they founded a Turkish and Persian nation state. They split the Kurdish geography into parts and placed them under the tutelage of these nation states,” Muslim said.

The PYD Co-Chair continued: “Most importantly, we need to see how to develop. We all have a first degree place in the formation of a strategy for Kurdish-Arab relations. For this very reason, it is our main duty to build a political-moral society in the first place. And this is only possible through the project developed with the Democratic Nation paradigm presented by Leader Abdullah Öcalan.”

SDF Commander-In-Chief Mazlum Abdi sent a sound recording which highlighted the importance of the timing of the workshop amidst the latest developments in the region.

Ebdi stated: “A number of people in our regions lost their lives trying to build Kurdish-Arab relations. The SDF is made up of Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Chechens and all other components in the region. It represents all circles of society. During the liberation offensives, they sacrificed their lives to free territories. Therefore, we will not allow intervention by any party or any foreign force.”