PYD: Kurdish Language strengthens Syrian sovereignty

The General Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) issued a statement today regarding the omission of the Kurdish language from official signage, saying:

“We in the Democratic Union Party (PYD) have closely followed the reactions and positions surrounding the sign installed at the Palace of Justice in the cities of Hasakah and Qamishlo, particularly the issue of excluding the Kurdish language from this important sovereign institution — not only at the level of Hasakah Governorate, but across Syria as a whole.

Our party views the resumption of work at sovereign institutions in Hasakah with great responsibility and high national regard, and highly appreciates the efforts being made to facilitate the affairs of Syrian citizens in this important part of Syria, whether in the courts and the Palace of Justice or in other institutions that have been reactivated or will later receive support and development, within the framework of previous agreements between the Syrian Interim Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces.

We reaffirm that our party, like all Kurdish, Arab, Syriac and other parties and forces within the Autonomous Administration, will not hesitate to support these agreements and work toward their success. We also view Presidential Decree No. 13 concerning the Kurdish language and the Newroz holiday as a positive step that can be built upon.

At the same time, we believe that excluding the Kurdish language from the Palace of Justice signboard does not align with the spirit of these agreements, nor with the path of national integration based on genuine partnership among all Syrians, in a way that preserves Syrian sovereignty and the unity of the country.

Justifying this exclusion on the basis of the constitutional declaration, despite our positive assessment of some of its articles, does not negate the fact that it still requires revision and amendment in many aspects. Our position stems not only from the fact that the constitutional declaration was not given sufficient time and did not express, in a balanced and effective manner, the will of Syria’s diverse components, but also because this view is shared by the majority of Syrian political forces, including official statements and positions issued by the Syrian government itself, which have emphasized the need to further develop and amend it in a manner that serves Syria’s national interest.

We in the General Council of the PYD affirm that writing official signs in the Kurdish language constitutes a genuine reinforcement of Syrian sovereignty and cannot be regarded as undermining it. Furthermore, recognizing Kurdish as an official Syrian language — not merely a national language — is a national step directly linked to strengthening Syrian national sovereignty.

We also affirm that the rights of the Kurdish people in Syria should be viewed as a Syrian national issue in all its dimensions and levels, foremost among them cultural and linguistic rights. These rights must be firmly established and fairly and clearly guaranteed within Syria’s future constitution.

In this context, we call on all Syrians — not only the government — to embrace the concept of a democratic national state that remains neutral toward all national, ethnic, cultural and religious components in Syria, and to work toward establishing supra-constitutional national principles upon which Syria’s social contract and future constitution can be built. We also call for the criminalization of everything that threatens the unity of Syrian society, and for taking genuine steps to end the policies of discrimination and denial that Syrians in general, and the Kurdish people in particular, have suffered under successive Syrian governments, especially the former regime.”

ANHA