Members of the European Parliament wrote a letter to Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, regarding the latest developments in Rojava, northern Syria, where HTS-ISIS militias and Turkish-backed mercenaries are carrying out a genocidal campaign against the Kurdish population.
The letter reads as follows:
“We are writing to you to express our deep concern regarding the recent escalation of violence affecting the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). In recent days, military offensives and armed confrontations involving Syrian government forces have led to territorial losses, serious human rights violations, and attacks against the civilian population.
The Kurdish people and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been key actors in the fight against jihadism and in the defeat of Daesh. Beyond their military role, they have sustained a political project grounded in democratic self-governance, gender equality, and ethnic and religious pluralism in an extremely fragile regional context. This effort, widely acknowledged by the international community, must not be answered with repression or with the denial of the Kurdish people’s political, cultural and self-governance rights.
In this unacceptable situation, we call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to all military operations, and the effective protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law. We stress the importance of preserving the self-governing institutions of the AANES, which have demonstrated their capacity to manage a diverse and plural society in a stable and inclusive manner.
We are also deeply concerned about the potential loss of control over detention facilities holding former Daesh fighters. Any destabilisation in this regard would have serious consequences for regional and international security and could undermine the fragile progress achieved in recent years. We note with concern that the United States appears to be reshaping its alliances in the region and engaging with the new regime, effectively deprioritising its former partners on the ground. While geopolitical realignments may occur, the European Union must not forget that the Kurdish people and the AANES represent the values the EU claims to defend: democracy, pluralism, gender equality and respect for human rights. They have borne a disproportionate burden and made immense sacrifices in the fight against Daesh, contributing directly to Europe’s security. This commitment requires clear and sustained political support from the European Union.
We therefore urge the European Commission, under your responsibility, to take decisive diplomatic and political action and to ensure that the European Union actively works to guarantee the political, cultural and self-governance rights of the Kurdish people in Syria, and to promote a negotiated political solution that can deliver a just and lasting peace.
We trust that the European Union will uphold its values and responsibilities and act in defence of human rights, democracy and peace.”
Signatories
MEP Diana Riba i Giner
MEP Vicent Marzà
MEP Ana Miranda
MEP Abir Al-Sahlani
MEP Pernando Barrena
MEP Lynn Boylan
MEP Mélissa Camara
MEP Leila Chaibi
MEP Per Clausen
MEP Danilo Della Valle
MEP Özlem Alev Demirel
MEP Sebastian Everding
MEP Maria Grapini
MEP Cristina Guarda
MEP Rima Hassan
MEP Rudi Kennes
MEP Catarina Martins
MEP Sara Matthieu
MEP Irene Montero
MEP Rasmus Nordqvist
MEP Maria Ohisalo
MEP Leoluca Orlando
MEP Kira Marie Peter-Hansen
MEP Ilaria Salis
MEP Isabel Serra
MEP Anthony Smith
MEP Villy Sovndal
MEP Cecilia Strada