Essence of the news
- Administrative self-management
Protecting Kurdish rights
Preserving the distinct character of Kurdish-majority areas
The General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said on Sunday that Kurds in northeast Syria seek a decentralized form of local governance in Syria, emphasizing that administrative self-management remains their primary demand regardless of terminology.
Abdi’s remarks came during responses to questions from Kurdish media outlet Rudaw on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, following a meeting with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.
“The main demand of the Kurds in northeast Syria is decentralized local governance under any name,” Abdi said, according to statements published Sunday.
His comments followed recent remarks by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani denying that Kurdish groups were seeking autonomy. Abdi said the disagreement with Damascus centered on wording rather than substance.
“The issue for the Syrian government concerns titles and terminology, not the content,” he stated, adding, “We are not committed to a specific designation, but rather that Kurds manage their regions’ affairs themselves.”
Abdi stressed that discussions during the international conference included meetings with multiple global actors, all of whom expressed support for Kurdish rights and the need to protect the specific character of Kurdish-populated areas.
“All parties we met emphasized the necessity of safeguarding the particularity of Kurdish regions and preventing renewed attacks against them,” he said, noting that the shared objective was ensuring that Kurds can determine their administrative future within a unified Syria.
