A delegation led by Senator David Shoebridge of the Australian Greens Party returned to the country after a week-long visit to North and East Syria.
The delegation who traveled to North-East Syria included academic Elisa Boyle, City Council Member İsmet Taştan, and Green Party members Baran Söğüt and Sam Brennan.
During the visit, the delegation met with Co-Presidents of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Evin Siwed and Hisen Osman, as well as Yazidi, Syriac, Arab Women’s and Youth Committee representatives.
After a series of meetings in North-East Syria, the delegation returned to their country and shared their impressions at a public meeting at the Democratic Kurdish Community Center (DKTM) in Sydney.
Senator Shoebridge highlighted the Autonomous Administration’s commitment to gender equality, pluralism, and peacebuilding. “Most senior positions are shared between a woman and a man. This is an extremely courageous effort sustained under difficult conditions,” he said.
Shoebridge stated that he supports the idea of Rojava opening a permanent representative office in Australia.
“I think this would be a very positive step that could be taken in Australia, a kind of permanent representation. Other non-state entities have permanent representations here,” he said, citing Palestine and Taiwan as examples.
“Building peace is as difficult as winning a war,” stated Shoebridge and highlighted Rojava’s work to empower women, whose “courage is at the heart of this struggle,” he said.
The delegation members conveyed that a pluralistic and federal vision of Syria, which represents all peoples, is the fundamental goal of the Autonomous Administration, and called for the international community to support these efforts.