After removing checkpoints, Nuri Sheikho urges action from Transitional Government

On Friday, the Internal Security Forces – Aleppo announced the removal of their checkpoints from the entrances of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh as part of confidence-building measures and efforts to ensure the success of the April Agreement concluded with the Transitional Government and the two neighborhood councils.

Sheikho told ANHS Agency that these changes aim to build trust and eliminate all excuses and obstacles preventing the implementation of the April 1 Agreement and ending the blockade imposed on the two neighborhoods.

He explained that the main condition for removing the Internal Security Forces’ checkpoints is activating the joint checkpoints, which were established to assume their proper role after being staffed with trained and qualified personnel.

Regarding the ongoing blockade, Sheikho confirmed that it still continues, preventing the passage of fuel and construction materials since the 25th of September into both neighborhoods.

He added: “We do not view the April 1 Agreement as a short-term tactical step, but as a long-term strategic vision. We have fulfilled our obligations, and we now await the Transitional Government to fulfill its commitments.”

Sheikho called on the Transitional Government in Syria to end the blockade in all its forms, open the Deir Hafer road, and guarantee unrestricted movement for residents—commitments that were included in the agreement.

He pointed to the recent meeting in Tabqa held on October 20, noting that it played a positive role in reactivating the agreement process after a period of stagnation.

Sheikho said: “Sometimes we ask ourselves: Is there a higher authority than the Transitional Government making decisions? It makes promises and pledges, but they are not implemented in practice.”

He stressed that the Transitional Government must shoulder its moral and humanitarian responsibilities, adding that its representatives now realize they cannot subdue the people through blockades and attacks. He recalled the events of October 6, when the population rose to defend their achievements and reject a return to square one.

Sheikho noted that if the Transitional Government is serious about creating meaningful change in people’s living conditions, it must abandon the tools of the collapsed Baath regime—such as blockades—which proved ineffective in dealing with the population, and must take genuine steps toward implementing all articles of the April 1 Agreement.

He also highlighted a crucial and dangerous point: attempts by Turkish intelligence to ignite an internal conflict based on sectarian and ethnic lines, which would not serve the Syrian people. He referenced recent killings accompanied by racist slogans in the occupied city of Afrin.

Sheikho concluded by affirming their commitment to dialogue and to implementing all agreements fully across all sectors—education, services, security, and others.

ANHA