Mazloum Abdi: Qamishlo represents history of Syria's Jazira and all communities

Speaking at a ceremony marking the centenary of Qamishlo’s founding, Abdi said the region’s various communities had lived there for more than a century and that the city’s establishment reflected the cultures and diversity of the peoples of the region.

He said the Baath regime, as well as the authorities that preceded it and pursued chauvinistic policies, had for decades sought to alter the region’s demographics and Arabise it. He added that the Autonomous Administration had worked over the past 15 years to counter these policies and restore the region’s identity.

Abdi said Syria’s next phase must reject chauvinistic policies and demographic change while guaranteeing communities the right to preserve their languages and identities. “In a new Syria, every child will learn in their mother tongue,” he said.

He noted that the region had endured a fierce war in recent years, with its people defending their areas against attacks, leading to the establishment of the SDF. He stressed that the force emerged from popular resistance to protect the region.

Abdi said the fall of the Baath regime and the start of building a new Syria marked a different phase. He said the decision to join the new Syria was based on the January 29 agreement, while the integration of the security, military and administrative institutions established over the past years was taking place within state institutions while preserving their identity and gains.

“The phase of integrating the military, security and administrative institutions into state institutions has ended, and from today, a new phase has begun,” he said, calling on residents to protect the institutions established through the sacrifices of those killed and to support and preserve them.

He also paid tribute to members of Kurdish forces who fought alongside the SDF against attacks on the region, saluting all those who “stood by our people and were martyred to protect them.”

Addressing residents, Abdi praised their resilience over the past 15 years.

He stressed that efforts to secure the rights of the Kurdish people and other communities would continue, saying the next phase would see intensified political efforts to secure their legitimate rights in the Syrian constitution.

Abdi concluded by saying that Qamishlo could become a centre of culture, politics and diversity, calling on all communities in the region to work together to build a future based on peace and coexistence.

a.k

ANHA