Armenian Union Party holds its founding conference 

The Armenian Union Party held its first founding conference today in the city of Hasakah, under the slogan "The Memory of the Armenian Genocide: Between the Promise of Justice and Renaissance," at the Sardam Hall.

The conference was attended by prominent figures and representatives of various communities and tribes, as well as representatives of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the Co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, the General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), and the Presidential Body of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), in addition to cultural, social, and women's figures.

The conference began with a minute of silence, followed by an opening address by the Secretary-General of the Armenian Union Party, Imad Tetriyan, who welcomed the attendees and congratulated the Armenian and Syrian people on the founding of the Armenian Union Party.

Tetriyan added: "We, as the Armenian Union Party, after suffering for 110 years since the Armenian Genocide, worked to unify the Armenian ranks after the formation of the Autonomous Administration, because we were persecuted before its establishment and were unable to present ourselves as a cohesive entity. We thank all the clans and religions that protected the Armenian ancestors from the killing and destruction perpetrated by the Turkish state."

After that, Imad Tetriyan read the party’s political document and its future goals, which included representing Armenians in the new Syria, strengthening cooperation between Armenians and all religions, working to restore the national and cultural identity of Armenians, building bridges of communication with Armenian parties abroad, strengthening relations with democratic forces in the region, communicating with international institutions concerned with protecting minorities, building balanced relations with regional and international countries in a way that serves the stability of North and East Syria and Syria in general, in addition to forming a committee to follow up on the Armenian issue globally to exert international pressure on Turkey to recognize the Armenian genocide and restore the rights of Armenians, and supporting the Syrian-Syrian dialogue to reach a comprehensive political solution.

Tetriyan affirmed that "this document serves as a political and moral guide for the party's work, and underscores its commitment to joint action with all national and democratic forces to build a free and democratic Syria that safeguards the rights of all its components without discrimination."

Following this, a speech was delivered on behalf of the General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) by YPJ Commander-in-Chief Rohlat Afrin. She began by congratulating the founding conference of the Armenian Union Party, the Armenian people, and the peoples of the region, commemorating the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide who have become martyrs of human history. She emphasized that the Armenian people, throughout history, have been steadfast in their culture and identity, resisting attempts at assimilation and the erasure of their existence.

She pointed out that the struggle of the Kurdish and Armenian peoples together at the highest levels necessitates adherence to identity and culture. She stressed that living in a new Syria, currently lacking stability and security, requires self-organization and the building of independent forces to confront policies of genocide and denial, and to protect the peoples of the region. She emphasized that all peoples, communities, and sects in Syria aspire to freedom, justice, and democracy, and that confronting the nation-state and the monolithic system requires building a decentralized system that safeguards the rights and cultures of all Syrian communities. She added that the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Women's Protection Units, just as they have protected the region in recent years, will continue to do so in the future.

Rohlat Afrin concluded her remarks with a message to women, saying: "Syrian women, from all backgrounds and sects, have a significant role to play in the liberation of Syria, and they will be at the forefront of building the Syria that Syrians dream of a Syria where justice, democracy, freedom, and equality prevail. We are confident that the presence of all communities will be fundamental to building the new Syria."

In the same vein, a speech was delivered on behalf of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) by Aldar Khalil, a member of the party's Presidential Council, who congratulated the founding of the Armenian Union Party, expressing his hope that it would serve as a foundation for the reunification of Armenians in this land. He added that Armenians played a major role in the history of the region and have their own culture, but the Armenian genocide, which occurred 110 years ago, remains a black stain on the forehead of humanity, stressing that policies based on the nation-state are still ongoing today.

Khalil emphasized that the revolution in North and East Syria, based on the philosophy of democratic confederation and the brotherhood of peoples, was the path to confronting the genocidal policies targeting its various communities and protecting their cultures.

For his part, Mahmoud al-Muslat, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, delivered a speech in which he indicated that peoples who cling to their rights and dignity are capable of rising up, no matter how severe the hardships. He stated that the founding of the Armenian Union Party represents a renewal of commitment and a consolidation of a deep historical presence in this land. He said that the memory of the Armenian Genocide constitutes a wound in the history of all humanity, but that the Armenians have proven that pain can be transformed into strength.

He added that the Armenian community has never been a guest, but rather an integral partner in building society and the nation's renaissance, and has been a vital part of the Syrian fabric on all levels.

He emphasized that justice is not merely a slogan, but a right for all Syrians, and that Syria is passing through a pivotal stage requiring the unity of all its components to shape the features of a new, pluralistic, democratic, and decentralized Syria, and to prevent a return to the pre-2011 era.

Following this, Hamdan al-Abd, Co-Chair of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, delivered a speech on behalf of the administration, congratulating the Armenian people on the founding of the party, considering it a historic birth for a people who had been subjected to genocide at the hands of oppressive states. He recalled the Armenian Genocide, the decrees issued against the Yazidis, and the genocides that targeted the peoples of the region, from the Shaitat to the Syrian coast and as far as Swedia.

He indicated that the conference represents a seed of goodness for the peoples of North and East Syria and Syria in general, stressing the necessity of building a Syria for all, a state based on love and equal citizenship, a unified, pluralistic, democratic, and decentralized Syria.

In a video message, Sheikh Murshid al-Khaznawi stated that any political step taken by the partners in the homeland is a declaration that all components are not minorities seeking protection, but rather peoples seeking freedom. He affirmed that the project of sedition has failed, and that the Armenians are writing a new chapter in the book of Syrian freedom today in Hasakah, a chapter that will not be closed until justice is achieved.

During the conference, a speech was delivered on behalf of the Council of Elders of North and East Syria by the head of the Council of Elders, Sheikh Hassan al-Ta'i of the Tayy tribe. He emphasized that the Armenian people are an integral part of Syrian geography, stressing that all components are united and that no one will be able to sow discord among them.

With the conclusion of the speeches, the conference was closed to the media to discuss its internal regulations, with the intention of concluding with a statement addressed to the public.

ANHA