2021... Year for Political Recognition of AANES

With the beginning of 2021, the political forces in NE, Syria, SDC, AANES, fought politically and diplomatically at home and abroad, seeking formal recognition of AANES, and expanding diplomatic and political relations in the Middle East, the world and Europe.

During 2021, political forces in NE, Syria held dozens of meetings at home and abroad, as well as opening offices and representations abroad.
In this Dossier, we will highlight the most prominent political and diplomatic activities at home and abroad:

Openness to the Outside

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and Syrian Democratic Council, SDC, have conducted numerous visits to European, American and Russian countries, thus driving the political process and making progress on the settlement of the Syrian crisis in accordance with international decisions. combating terrorism and supporting AANES’ areas, ways of establishing lasting security and stability, as well as Turkish state crimes in the occupied areas.

The meetings with the Russian side also addressed the importance of dialogue between SDC and the Damascus Government, with a view to reaching agreements that respond to the legitimate aspirations of all Syrian citizens and take into account the regional characteristics and the ethnic and cultural pluralism of Syrian society.

Its meetings with America revolved around developments in the region, ways to resolve the Syrian crisis and the need for support for AANES in order to consolidate stability in the region. With the French side, the administrative situation in NE, Syria and the importance of the democratic experience and its future developments within a united and democratic Syria were discussed.

The most important of these visits are:

July 1 - A delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria meets with the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anna Linda, at the ministry's headquarters in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Meeting with Macron

July 19 - A high-level delegation from the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian Democratic Council, SDC met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. The delegation included the President of the Executive Board of the Syrian Democratic Council, Ilham Ahmed, the co-chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Berivan Khaled, and the co-chair of the Executive Council of the Civil Administration in Deir ez-Zor Ghassan Al-Youssef.

September 15 - A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council meets with the Russian President's Special Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, in Moscow.

September 22 - A delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria meets, according to an official invitation, with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Danish government's advisor and foreign relations official, the Syrian file official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the humanitarian ambassador in the ministry.

September 25 - A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria meets with representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry headed by Mikhail Bogdanov, in the Russian capital.

July 25 - The delegation of the Syrian Democratic Council and the Autonomous Administration meets with the US administration and members of the US Senate.

October 19 - The representation of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in Sweden meets with the official for diplomatic relations of the ruling Socialist Party in Sweden and a member of public relations in the Swedish Parliament Andersch Ostbery.

November 20 - At the invitation of the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the Autonomous Administration meets with the official in charge of the Syrian file, Consul Per Orinos. And with the President of the International Organization of Ulf Palme Anna Södertrom, and in charge of the Middle East file, and the head of the Swedish Kurdish Support Organization and a former member of the Stockholm municipality.

Political recognition of AANES

In a step that is the first of its kind, the Catalan parliament voted, on October 20, by a majority, on a draft resolution politically recognizing the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

December 11 - A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council meets with the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anna Linde, in the capital, Stockholm.

December 12 - A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council meets with the Finnish Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto, at the Foreign Ministry building in the capital, Helsinki.

Organizational Steps

Among the organizational steps, to complement the project to open offices and representations abroad, and in a step to develop relations between the AANES and the Government and people of Switzerland, the AANES opened, on 9 August, a representation in Geneva at an official ceremony.

5 July - In the Austrian capital, Vienna, a representation of the Syrian Democratic Council was opened with the participation of representatives of Syrian political parties and forces.

Internally:

At the internal level, many Western and Arab delegations visited NE, Syria, and during the visits, they talked about the attacks of the Turkish occupation, the crimes committed against the people of NE, Syria, the Turkish occupation state's blocking of the water of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and the importance of supporting the Autonomous Administration in political, economic and security terms. Humanitarianism, and the importance of the AANES model in managing cities and regions in north and east Syria.

During those visits, the dialogue with the Damascus Government and the political process was also discussed, affirming the continuation of military and political support for the region, and working by various means to support efforts aimed at developing a political solution to the conflict in Syria. And the repercussions of closing the Tel Kocher crossing, and UN Resolution 2,254. The situation of the refugees, IDPs and the threats launched by the Turkish occupation against NE, Syria.

During those visits, which took place from the beginning of 2021 until December 6, the Autonomous Administration handed over a total of 256 children, 64 women from ISIS families, to their countries according to two official documents, in addition to handing over 10 Yazidi children to their mothers.

The most prominent of these visits:

January 11 - A French delegation headed by the former French ambassador to Damascus, Eric Chevalier, visits the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

March 10 - US Deputy Special Envoy to Syria David Brownstein meets with the Department of Foreign Relations in the Autonomous Administration in Qamishlo.

April 18 - An Official Russian delegation arrived in Qamishlo, headed by Anna Kuznetsova, Head of the Children's Rights Commission of the President of Russia.

May 4 - A Danish delegation headed by Mr. Christopher Vivek, and the official in charge of the Syria file in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, William Bo Pedersen, senior advisor and in charge of relief and humanitarian aid in the ministry, arrived at the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Relations.

May 16 - A delegation from the US State Department headed by Deputy Secretary of State Joey Hood, accompanied by Special Envoy for Syria Amy Katrona and Director of the National Security Council for Iraq and Syria at the White House Zahra Bell, visited NE, Syria and held two separate meetings with the Syrian Democratic Forces SDF, and the Syrian Council Democracy, SDC, on the one hand, and with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Civil Council in Raqqa on the other.

May 25- The head of the French Daniel Mitrand Waqf Foundation, the responsible for the follow-up of Middle East affairs in the Paris City Council, and the head of the (URD) ​​organization arrived at the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Relations in Qamishlo.

June 5 - An official Dutch delegation headed by the Dutch special envoy for the Syrian file Emil de Bond, Dirk Jan Neuwenhuis and Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Consular Affairs visited the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Relations in Qamishlo.

June 22 - A delegation from Catalonia visits the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

July 3 - The Commissioner for Children's Rights of the President of the Russian Federation, Larisa Nikolaevna, visited the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Relations in Qamishlo.

July 14 - A Finnish delegation headed by Ambassador José Tanner, Finland's envoy to the United Nations and special envoy to Syria, arrived in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

July 15 - A Belgian delegation headed by Ambassador Eric de Moynck, responsible for the Syrian file, and a representative of the Belgian Foreign Ministry visits the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

July 31- The Albanian ambassador to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan and the Director of the Office of Combating Terrorism and Extremism in the Albanian Security Service visited the Department of Foreign Relations in Qamishlo city.

August 11- A Palestinian delegation visited the Department of Foreign Relations of the Autonomous Administration.

September 5 - A delegation from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Ambassador Frederic Florent, visited the Department of Foreign Relations of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria.

September 9 - The Department of Foreign Relations in the Autonomous Administration received a delegation from the Kingdom of Sweden headed by Ambassador Fredrik Florn from the Department of Consular Affairs and Civil Law in Sweden.

September 23- Ambassador Barry Gilder, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Syria and Lebanon to South Africa, paid an official visit to NE, Syria.

September 28 - A French delegation visits the External Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration.

1 October - Barrister at the Paris Bar and Representative of the National Consultative Committee on Human Rights (CNCDH) Simon Forman, the lawyer with the Rouen Bar and the Representative of the National Council of Trade Unions, (CNB), Richard Seidlow, the lawyer at the Paris Bar, and the Secretary-General For the non-governmental organization, Lawyers Without Borders France (ASF FRANCE), Matthew Pagard, and French Member of Parliament Hebert Julien Laverire, a visit to the Department of Foreign Relations in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

October 6 - The Department of Foreign Relations received two German and Danish delegations.

October 9- The Department of Foreign Relations received a member of the Belgian Federal Parliament and the Chairman of the Group of Friends of the Iraqi Parliament, Georges Dalmagni.

October 18 - A British delegation headed by the British Special Envoy to Syria Jonathan Hargreves arrived in NE, Syria.

October 21 - A delegation from the Kingdom of Sweden visited NE, Syria

November 1 - A French delegation headed by French Parliament member Hubert Julien and a number of lawyers from the Paris Bar Association visited the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Relations.

20 German medical delegation, including doctors and specialists in operations, emergency and physiotherapy, visited NE, Syria.

November 15 - The Chargé d'Affairs of the Somali Embassy in Damascus visited NE, Syria.

November 22 - A Norwegian delegation visited NE, Syria.

November 29- The Department of Foreign Relations received Ambassador Barry Gilder, the Extraordinary Commissioner in Syria and Lebanon for the State of South Africa.

December 6 - The Department of Foreign Relations received a delegation from the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

Activities and Events

The year 2021 was not without activities, events and forums, which shed light on several important issues such as the Turkish occupation state's blocking of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, the dilemma of ISIS mercenaries, and the development of the Autonomous Administration.

With the beginning of 2021, the Syrian Democratic Council organized a series of seminars on the occupation of Afrin, "agenda, strategies of resistance" under the slogan "Afrin the resistance... is steadfast, Afrin remains and the occupiers are leaving" in Aleppo on January 25, and in al-Shahba on 27.

On February 20, the Rojava Center for Strategic Studies organized a forum for "Kurdish Differences - Kurdish Facts and Solutions", in Afrin Hall in Qamishlo city, amid a large participation of Kurdish political party officials, Kurdish community figures, intellectuals and human rights defenders.

From August 19 to December 7, the Syrian Democratic Council, SDC, organized six seminars under the title (The Intellectual and Prospects for a Political Solution) in Qamishlo on August 19, in Deirk on August 21, in Hasakah on October 2, and in Raqqa on November 16 And in Manbij on December 4 and in Kobani on December 7. Those seminars focused on the role of intellectuals in resolving political crises and their role in the political process in Syria, and the tasks of the intellectual in making an effort to curb the ideas that overturn human thought.

On September 27, the activities of the International Water Forum were launched in North and East Syria, on the current water situation in the region, and the conditions witnessed by the scarcity of water sources and their submission to the will of the political states that control their sources, and continued for two consecutive days in the city of Hasakah.

The main objective of the forum was "to shed light on international charters, laws and agreements on water, draw attention to regional politics and the war on water resources monopolization and exploitation in political and economic disputes, and to present and discuss risks and challenges related to the issue of water security and achieving security and sustainable water development."

On May 27, the Human Rights Defense Initiative, sponsored by the German human rights organization (medico international) and the organization “fight for humanity,” organized the founding meeting of the platform for ISIS victims in NE, Syria in the Afrin hall in Qamishlo city, the platform aims to represent the voice of the victims of ISIS mercenaries and hold the mercenaries accountable for the heinous crimes they committed against the many victims and missing persons, in addition to enabling the victims (survivors of ISIS mercenaries) to play a leading role in formulating meaningful transitional justice around their rights to effective and genuine remedies and just reparation.

July 18 - Activists launched a "hashtag" campaign on virtual websites calling for international recognition of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Thousands of politicians, intellectuals and international personalities participated in the campaign, which ranked first on virtual communication sites.

August 22- A group of politicians, intellectuals, journalists, activists and academics from the Afrin region launched an initiative called (The National Initiative for Afrin), in the German city of Bonn, with the aim of stopping the war of extermination being committed against the Kurdish people in Afrin.

July 15 - The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria formed a committee consisting of 30 members from the political, social, cultural, legal and clan elites in order to reformulate the social contract for North and East Syria. The committee held its general meeting from December 11-13 to discuss the draft contract, and the expanded committee for drafting the social contract for north and east Syria ended its meeting after completing the discussion and amendment of 30% of the draft.

December 13 - At the invitation of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference of "Democratic Forces and Personalities" and in cooperation with the "Ulf Palma International Foundation", a consultative meeting was held in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, which brought together representatives of Syrian political parties and personalities; To discuss mechanisms for framing the democratic opposition and building national consensus to find a political solution in Syria.

T/S

ANHA