The Kobanê Administration issued a statement regarding talks and meetings held with the Aleppo Governorate administration and the current situation on the ground.
The statement on Saturday includes the following:
“According to the agreement signed on January 29 between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the transitional government in Damascus, the first step was taken in the Şêxler region, where integration between security forces was achieved.
With the aim of resolving the problems of the population and ensuring the return of displaced people to their homes, a meeting was held in the rural Kobanê between the Kobanê Administration and the Deputy Governor of Aleppo, with the participation of Kurdish and Arab community leaders. The meeting concluded with positive outcomes, and the Deputy Governor of Aleppo, on behalf of the governor, invited the Kobanê Administration to visit Aleppo.
‘Military forces were not withdrawn, the siege was not lifted’
Following the invitation conveyed to the Autonomous Administration of Kobanê, a delegation representing the Kobanê Administration and community leaders traveled to Aleppo on February 5 to meet with the governor. There, talks were held with the Deputy Governor and the Commander of the Aleppo Internal Security Forces. During the meeting, many important files concerning the region were discussed, primarily the practical steps taken in the Şêxler region and the steps that need to be taken in the Çelebiyê region to ensure the return of all residents to their villages. Issues related to services such as water, electricity, and internet outages were also addressed. However, despite the promises made by government representatives during the meeting, no concrete steps have been taken by the transitional government to date; in particular, the withdrawal of military forces from Çelebiyê and the lifting of the siege on Kobanê have not been realized.
‘Insistence on the name Ayn al-Arab is contrary to reality’
In this context, we as the Kobanê Administration emphasize that the statements later published in the media do not serve the resolution of problems and in no way correspond to the content of the agreement. Furthermore, defining Kobanê as a “district” and insisting on the use of the name “Ayn al-Arab” is contrary to the reality on the ground.
Call for Damascus Government to fulfill its responsibilities
Once again, we reaffirm our commitment to the provisions of the agreement and our determination to implement them on the ground, and we state that we are ready to fulfill our responsibilities to ensure progress in this process. We call on the Damascus Government to fulfill its responsibilities and complete the necessary steps. In particular, military forces must be withdrawn from villages within the administrative borders of the Kobanê region, the siege on the city must be lifted, and obstacles preventing the provision of basic services for the population must be removed.”