MESOP MIDEAST WATCH: Koçer: If we do not liberate occupied territories, Syria to be divided

 Hassan Koçer warned that the Damascus government’s continuation of its unilateral policies and its refusal to dialogue in light of the Turkish occupation of Syrian lands might eventually lead to the division of the country, and reiterated their readiness for a constructive dialogue with the Damascus government to preserve the country’s unity. ANF NEWS 19-1-2022 –

The Damascus government insists on military means for the Syrian crisis over the past 10 years, and refuses to engage in dialogue with the Autonomous Administration. However, militarization has brought nothing but destruction, killing and displacement against the Syrian people.

With the continuation of the Turkish occupation of the Syrian territories, the Turkish intentions to annex these areas to Turkey, as it did previously in the Iskenderun district, the importance of an agreement between the Syrians to end the occupation and remove the specter of partition is increasing.

Since the establishment of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, it has confirmed that the solution to the Syrian crisis will only be through the Syrian dialogue, but the Damascus government categorically rejects it as a result this prolonged the Syrian crisis.

In this regard, our agency met with the deputy co-chair of the joint Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Hassan Koçer, who confirmed that the Syrian dialogue is the best solution to the Syrian crisis.

In this regard, He said, “The intervention of foreign countries will not solve the crisis because the solution to the Syrian crisis is with the people and the decision of the Syrian people, not from the foreign countries that do not want to solve the Syrian crisis and exit from it.”

He added, “The crisis is deepening because of external interference because the decisions are not from the Syrian people, and the Damascus government has also intransigent in its old mentality to return to Syria before 2011. On the other hand, there is a non-national opposition linked to the agendas.”  The foreign ministry, especially linked to the Turkish state, works to protect the borders of the Turkish state and they have nothing to do with the Syrian people, so the intransigence of the regime and the absence of a national democratic opposition led to the prolongation of the Syrian crisis.

The military solution brought woes to Syria

He pointed out the need to build a national opposition to reach the right solution in Syria, and that “the Syrian regime must know that the situation in Syria is different from the past, there have been 10 years of war, displacement and killing, and it has to assess the situation well so that we can find a solution to the Syrian crisis.”

He pointed out that the Autonomous Administration in general has its first goal in the unity of the Syrian territories and believes that the international resolution 2254 is the basis, “and we want a political solution to the crisis, and we have raised this several times because the military solution has exacerbated the economic, social and political situation in Syria and destroyed the infrastructure.”

The Autonomous Administration united the peoples in the region

He also added, “We have to develop political dialogue because political dialogue is very important, from the beginning, we say that the Damascus government must engage in dialogue with the Autonomous Administration, because the people of north and east Syria fought for the unity of Syria and expelled ISIS. The Syrian Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration united the social fabric  in the region in general.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces liberated the regions of northern and eastern Syria that were handed over by the Syrian regime to ISIS terrorism, so no one can talk about the patriotism and the Autonomous Administration,” he added.

The unification of the Syrian territories is the basis for resolving the crisis

He indicated that Syria has two options: “If we do not unify the Syrian territories, and if we do not liberate the areas occupied by Turkey, Syria will be divided.”

“On the ground, the areas occupied by Turkey are practically divided, because the language imposed in the occupied areas is Turkish, and the currency used is Turkish currency, and a governor was appointed for the occupied areas by Turkey,” he added.

He concluded his speech by saying, “There is a danger to Syria, and the goal of the Autonomous Administration is to confront this danger and protect the territorial integrity of Syria, and our goal is to build a decentralized administration because if we do not build a decentralized administration, Syria will be divided and the regime’s intransigence will prolong the crisis.”