The delegation from North and East Syria, which included Mazloum Abdi, General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Ilham Ahmed, Co-Chair of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Autonomous Administration, met with the Syrian Interim Government delegation in Damascus on 7 October within the framework of the 10 March Agreement to discuss integration and the safe return of displaced Kurds. On 10 October, speaking on the 10th anniversary of the founding of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi called on the displaced people of Afrin (Efrîn), Ras al-Ayn (Serêkaniyê) and Tell Abyad (Girê Spî) to begin preparations for return.
Dr. Hasan Kılıç spoke to ANF about developments in Syria, evaluating the transformation process within the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, integration, and the safe return of refugees.
Rojava experience invalidated Sykes-Picot
Kılıç, the process experienced by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in terms of internal dynamics and external pressures. Kılıç stated: “As has been widely acknowledged around the world, the Rojava experience has been recorded as a unique and distinctive model in the 21st century. Despite major blockades and restrictions, sustaining this model even for a single day based on the self-power of society is a great achievement. Therefore, it is an ethical and political responsibility to acknowledge, at every opportunity, the great efforts made so far. Moreover, through the Rojava experience, the practices of coexistence from which these lands have been alienated since Sykes-Picot have once again come to life.”
Kılıç also said, “Like any administrative structure, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria is naturally affected by both internal dynamics and external pressures. What matters here is the method of dealing with these challenges. Like any structure that seeks to resolve problems caused by internal strain or external pressure by relying on society, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria has successfully maintained its existence until today. Of course, this does not mean that it will not face new challenges. After all, an alternative modernity to capitalist modernity is coming to life, and this poses an ideological and political threat to imperialist powers. The horizontal, egalitarian and libertarian form of life within the Rojava model carries an anti-capitalist reality and naturally constitutes a threat to the system. In this respect, we can foresee that in the new period, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria will face more ideologically and politically motivated hegemonic capitalist pressures.”
A new system is going through birth pains in the Middle East
Hasan Kılıç said that the integration process between the SDF and the Syrian Transitional Government in Damascus represents a strategic step rather than a tactical diplomatic move: “The 10 March Agreement between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Syrian Transitional Government demonstrates a political will for democratic integration. Therefore, what is at stake here is not a tactical diplomatic move but a strategic stance.”
Kılıç stated that this strategic approach cannot be separated from global and regional transformations and added: “The paradigm of sovereignty is changing. After the era of feudal principalities came the age of empires, and from the age of empires came the era of nation-states. For a long time now, the nation-state form of sovereignty has also been eroding. A new form of sovereignty, and therefore a new paradigm, is about to replace the nation-state form. In a manner of speaking, what we are witnessing is the birth pains of a new system.”
Autonomous Administration could become a model in the Middle East
Kılıç continued: “Achieving democratic integration in Syria and the Middle East may produce a model in the search for new forms of sovereignty centred in the Middle East. In this respect, the experience implemented by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria holds an important position. The construction of a unitary Syria based on decentralisation could open the doors to a democratic republic and set an example for the entire region. Each province could realise its own decentralisation and establish regional alliances among themselves. In this way, society would be protected against the negative consequences of centralisation, and internal peace based on the democratic nation would be ensured against external interventions. With the spread of this system in the Middle East, the Democratic Confederal Middle East model could be brought to life and become a globally recognised example based on a model.”
Paramilitary forces must be removed before returns
Kılıç stressed that mercenary groups must be eliminated for the safe return of displaced people from Afrin, Ras al-Ayn and Tell Abyad and said: “As far as we know, the return of Kurds to their lands is one of the negotiation items between the Transitional Government and the Autonomous Administration. The main obstacle to the return of Kurds is the presence of paramilitary formations known as the Free Syrian Army (FSA). These formations are largely militias that do not have a historical or sociological bond with Syria and whose attachment to the central government is unclear. Their existence is the greatest danger for civilians in a country without central authority and legal security. Such militias continue to exist precisely under conditions where legal guarantees are absent. Therefore, for returns to take place, these paramilitary structures must first be eliminated. Only then can the political, social, economic and psychological requirements for returns be implemented.”