A French delegation currently on a multi-day visit to the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) met on Tuesday with senior commanders of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ). The delegation was received by members of the YPJ General Command, Rohilat Efrîn and Viyan Adar (also known as Viyan Efrîn). The meeting took place as part of a series of diplomatic talks the delegation is holding with various DAANES institutions. Throughout these discussions, the importance of the role of women in self-defense and in the political construction of Rojava was repeatedly emphasized.
The delegation is led by socialist MP Anna Pic, a member of the Defense and European Affairs Committees of the French Parliament, and Dylan Boutiflat, International Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) responsible for foreign relations. On Monday evening, the delegation had been received for talks at the DAANES Foreign Relations Department in Qamishlo, where the MPs met with the department’s co-chair Ilham Ehmed and her deputy Gulistan Elî.
Speaking to the media, Anna Pic explained the purpose of the visit: “We are here to see what is really happening in Rojava—on the ground, not from afar. And we are here to listen to the voice of the Kurdish people and to defend their rights.” The delegation aims to gather information in order to make it visible in France and at the international level. In light of the ongoing attacks on northeastern Syria, she stressed the importance of strengthening civilian structures and democratic achievements in the region.