The Syria policy that collapsed in 50 days!..

When the new leader of Syria, Ahmet Şara—the head of HTS, codenamed Colani—and Mazlum Abdi, codenamed Mazlum Kobani, the head of the PKK/YPG/PYD disguised as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), signed an 8-point agreement on March 10, the pro-government media ran the following headlines:

“YPG/SDF surrendered to Damascus... PYD/YPG laid down their arms... Şara shook hands with Mazlum Abdi and agreed to lay down arms... The 8-point Damascus agreement on the path to integration... Syria is reuniting towards a single color on the map... Next up is a terror-free Middle East”

We, however, made the following assessment:

“It is so obvious that they are stalling!.. Commissions will be established, they will meet, and they will try to implement the agreement by the end of the year, etc. In other words, the PKK/YPG/PYD disguised as the SDF has gained at least 9 more months.”

There was no need for 9 months; on Saturday, the “Kurdish national conference” held in Qamishli with the participation of all parties to the “Greater Kurdistan” project resulted in decisions for a federation and for Kurdish to be an official language. In other words, the region that every imperialist country calls the “Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria” has moved to the stage of becoming “Western Kurdistan.”

That conference and the decisions taken, of course, do not only concern Syria. As our last Ambassador to Damascus, Ömer Onhon, emphasized; “its goal transcends the borders of Rojava and Syria,” and the “principles determined at the meeting are in the nature of a ‘catalog of rights demands’ that can be put forward in the process in every country when the time comes!”

“Western Kurdistan” Celebrations

Let’s look at who celebrated what immediately after the conference.

Lahur Sheikh Jangi, head of the People's Front (Beriya Gel), said in a message addressed to SDF head Mazlum Kobani: “Today is a historic day not only for Rojava but for all four parts of Kurdistan.”

The Kurdistan Communist Party (PWK) expressed its wish that the conference “form a basis for the rights and political, geographical status of the people of Western Kurdistan to be obtained,” and “pave the way for it to become an equal partner to the Syrian state with a federal status.”

Kurdish artist Ciwan Haco requested that Rojava be recognized by the Syrian administration and said the following:

“I congratulate the people of Rojava and our people in the four parts of Kurdistan. A truly very important development has taken place... Today, the region from Afrin to Hasakah, and from there to Derik, is the geography of Kurdistan. This is Kurdistan. Kurds must be aware of the importance of this. They need to go to Damascus and define the geography of Kurdistan.”

And the DEM Party, with which Ankara is sitting at the table for a “terror-free Turkey,” made the following statement:

“The conference in Rojava, which was also attended by representatives from our party, is not only a historic step in terms of ensuring unity among Kurds, but also a very important opportunity for the establishment of a democratic Middle East where every people, faith, and culture living in the Middle East, especially in Syria, can live with their own identity and status.”

Awards for the US’s “Heroes”

Before reporting on an awards ceremony held in Sulaymaniyah, under the control of PUK head Bafel Talabani, the day after that meeting in Qamishli, there are things we want to recall.

On March 15, 2023, a helicopter crashed in northern Iraq, and 9 people died. It was understood that those in the helicopter were PKK/YPG terrorists.

While the US, which is still our “ally,” used the term “hero” for these terrorists and offered its “heartfelt” condolences to Mazlum Kobani, Ankara fell silent.

Only 17 days after the incident, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Turkish airspace had been closed to flights from Sulaymaniyah Airport, where that helicopter had taken off and landed.

The then-Presidential Spokesperson, and current head of the MIT, İbrahim Kalın, also stated that they would be “followers” of the helicopter incident, saying, “There is no sustainable side to the US supporting a terrorist organization. This not only poisons Turkey-US relations but also upsets the balances in Syria... This must be put to an end now. You cannot fight terrorism by supporting the Syrian branch of the PKK.” Kalın also noted that “they knew that the PKK had a very serious structure in the Sulaymaniyah leg” and that “they would never allow it to gain a foothold.”

As is known, after 2 years, even our Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler now says “SDF” without putting the phrase “terrorist organization” before or after it, and explains that “the PKK terrorist organization is also in a process of evolving from baseless and futile ambitions to the perspective of a common-sense initiative.”

As for the ceremony in Sulaymaniyah; Mazlum Kobani was deemed worthy of one of the awards given to those who “make significant contributions in the fields of culture, literature, and human rights” to keep alive the memory of Ibrahim Ahmed, who is described as a Kurdish writer, journalist, lawyer, and politician; Evdo Ahmed Abdi, codenamed “Şervan Kobani,” the commander of the so-called Rojava anti-terror units who died in that helicopter crash, was deemed worthy of another; and Amedspor was deemed worthy of the third.

Mazlum Kobani, who received his award by saying “my dear and revolutionary brother” to Bafel Talabani, spoke as follows in a video message he sent to the ceremony:

“I apologize for not being able to be here today. I thank those who deemed me and the martyr Şervan Kobani worthy of this award. Just like Ibrahim Ahmed, Şervan Kobani also fought for the freedom of the four parts of Kurdistan and fell as a martyr.”

Damascus and Ankara’s Reaction

Let’s come to the reaction of the Ahmet Şara administration to the decisions taken at the Qamishli meeting.

In a statement made by the Syrian Presidency, it was reported that the demands of the SDF contradicted the content of the agreement made and threatened the unity and territorial integrity of the country, and it was stated:

“Syria’s territorial integrity and national unity are our red line. Any attempt to violate this integrity will be considered an attack on Syria’s unified identity... We clearly reject attempts to impose a reality aimed at dividing the country or to create separate structures under the name of a federation or autonomous administration.”

So, does Şara have the power to prevent this course of events, which has the US, Israel, and France standing firmly behind it?

In our article on Saturday, we pointed out that Ahmet Şara was begging the US for the lifting of sanctions due to Syria’s economic situation, and we made the assessment that “he who pays the piper calls the tune.” Let us add this; Syria’s debt of approximately 15 million dollars to the World Bank was paid by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which are under US influence!..

What about Ankara’s stance?

Only Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan said the following:

“We do not accept any initiative that targets Syria’s territorial integrity, undermines its sovereignty, or ensures the continuation of terrorist organizations... We will continue to stand against certain groups that take advantage of the situation Syria is in. We expect the agreement signed between the YPG and the administration in Syria in recent months to be implemented. At the same time, we expect the PKK, as an organization, to respond positively to the call made as soon as possible, to lay down its arms, and to stop being an obstacle to a return to normal in our region. Just as DAESH was removed from the system in Syria, the PKK will also be removed from the system. It will either leave of its own volition, in peace and tranquility, or it will leave in another way.”

In short, another “suddenly one night” message!..

But what do you say to the DEM Party, the spokesperson for Imralı, which participated in the Qamishli meeting where the Barzanistan flag was hung, the so-called “national anthem” “Ey Regip” was played, and a moment of silence was held for the dead terrorists, and which participated in the decisions taken?!

After the agreement between Ahmet Şara and Mazlum Kobani, Erdoğan’s assessment was as follows:

“We see every effort aimed at clearing Syria of terrorism as a step taken in the right direction. The full implementation of the agreement reached yesterday will serve the security and peace of Syria. The winner of this will be all of our Syrian brothers.”

50 days later, we are all watching together who the “winners” are and will be!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

April 29, 2025