Following the attacks carried out across Rojava, which began with the onslaught on the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah on January 6, solidarity actions were organized in many parts of the world. Numerous institutions, groups and political actors called for international solidarity against the attacks.
Kurds living in Cyprus and their supporters also organized daily protests against the attacks on Rojava. In addition, an important political step was taken at the level of political parties in Cyprus. The Cypriot Parliament unanimously adopted a decision expressing solidarity with Rojava, delivering strong political messages.
Giorgos Loukaides, AKEL’s parliamentary spokesperson in Cyprus and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, spoke to ANF about the attacks on Rojava, international solidarity actions, Rojava’s international status and developments regarding the resolution of the Kurdish question.
Loukaides stated that the support expressed for Rojava in Cyprus and at the international level reflects solidarity with a people facing occupation and violence.
“As AKEL, we do not view our solidarity with Rojava as temporary. Our stance is directly connected to our defense of peoples’ right to self-determination without external interventions or impositions,” he stated.
Loukaides stated that this position has been expressed both in Cyprus and on international platforms, noting that within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe they ensured that developments in the Middle East were discussed as an urgent agenda item on behalf of the Left Group.
The politician said the Assembly’s decision emphasized the need to protect the peoples of the region and to respect international law and human rights, including the rights of Kurds in Rojava.
Loukaides also stated that developments in Rojava are linked to the broader political landscape of the Middle East. He noted that the region has for decades been an arena of competition among major powers over energy resources, trade routes and strategic territories. According to Loukaides, interventions by powerful states—either directly or through proxy forces—have increased instability, and the attacks on Rojava should also be seen as part of this geopolitical rivalry.
Loukaides pointed out that the Democratic Autonomous Administration model in Rojava has attracted international attention. This experience, he said, seeks to promote democratic governance, social participation and gender equality in a region often associated with wars and authoritarian regimes. However, he added that international politics often operates in line with the interests of major powers, which is one of the reasons why independent political and social initiatives are frequently targeted.
Loukaides said that international recognition of Rojava largely depends on geopolitical balances, adding: “The future of Rojava must be integrated into a comprehensive political solution in Syria that guarantees the rights of all ethnic and religious communities. This solution must respect Syria’s territorial integrity while guaranteeing the political and cultural autonomy of its communities.”
Emphasizing that the Kurdish question is one of the most significant issues of democracy and human rights in the region, Loukaides said that lasting peace and stability cannot be achieved without a genuine political solution that recognizes the rights of the Kurdish people.
Loukaides also pointed to serious contradictions in Turkey’s Kurdish policy, stating that while Ankara appears to support dialogue and peace processes on the one hand, it continues to carry out military operations in Syria and Iraq and attempts to prevent the emergence of Kurdish political autonomy on the other.
Loukaides emphasized that Abdullah Öcalan has played a historic role in the Kurdish movement and in the Kurdish people’s struggle for political rights, noting that efforts toward dialogue and peaceful solutions have occasionally emerged despite his severe isolation conditions. He concluded that “achieving a fair and sustainable solution is a fundamental prerequisite both for Turkey’s democratic development and for stability across the entire region.”
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