NE Syria Communities Conference in Hasakah Calls for Inclusive, Democratic Syria

Kurdistan 03:30 PM - 2025-08-08

Hassan Farhan, head of the Tay Arab Tribe Council, reading the closing statement.

The conference brought together representatives from across northeast Syria’s diverse communities, including Kurds, Arabs, Syriac-Assyrians, Turkmen, Armenians, Circassians, and others. Participants gathered to address what they described as a “critical and sensitive stage” in Syria’s history, driven by a shared responsibility towards the country’s present and future.

The closing statement — read by Hassan Farhan, head of the Tay Arab Tribe Council — emphasised the participants’ joint commitment to an inclusive national course founded on diversity, partnership, and equal citizenship.

The statement underscored the historical depth and cultural richness of the region’s communities while recalling decades of marginalisation and exclusion under successive central governments. It accused the former regime of pursuing systematic policies to suppress identities, weaken social and economic structures, impose demographic change, and deprive the population of basic rights to representation, participation, and equitable development.

“What is taking place today in this critical historical stage — through daily behaviours and practices against the Syrian people, particularly the events in the coastal region, Suwayda, and among the Christian community — amounts to crimes against humanity. These require impartial investigation and transparent, honest efforts to identify the perpetrators, whoever they may be. We regard such acts as crimes against the entire national fabric,” the statement declared.

Participants affirmed that ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity in northeast Syria is a source of strength and wealth, calling for this diversity to be embedded in political and administrative structures to guarantee fair representation and strengthen social unity. The Autonomous Administration was described as a participatory governance model capable of development and a living example of democratic community administration.

The sacrifices of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in defending the region and the dignity of its peoples were highly praised. The conference described the SDF as a necessary nucleus for forming a new, professional, voluntary national Syrian army that reflects the country’s true societal composition and safeguards its borders and territorial integrity.

“Believing in the unity and sovereignty of Syria, we hold that a sustainable solution lies in a democratic constitution that enshrines and strengthens ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity, and establishes a decentralised state that guarantees genuine participation of all components in political and administrative life, in line with freedom of belief, social justice, and good governance,” the statement said.

The participants argued that the current constitutional declaration does not meet the Syrian people’s aspirations for freedom and dignity, and must be revised to ensure broader participation and fair representation during the transitional phase.

The conference called for a genuine transitional justice process based on truth-seeking, accountability, reparations without discrimination, and guarantees of non-repetition — creating conditions for the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of displaced persons, and rejecting all forms of demographic change.

Emphasising the vital role of women, youth, and civil society in reconstruction, participants urged the consolidation of civil peace, dialogue, and rejection of hatred, to foster genuine participation in governance. They also stressed the importance of revising Syria’s administrative divisions to reflect demographic and developmental realities, as well as local geographical, historical, and cultural characteristics.

The conference also reviewed the 10 March agreement between the SDF and the Syrian transitional government, along with the outcomes of the “Kurdish Unity Stance” conference, expressing commitment to both as steps towards building an inclusive national consensus that can restore Syrians’ trust in their homeland.

To achieve this vision, the conference called for convening a comprehensive national Syrian conference involving all national and democratic forces, aimed at shaping a unifying national identity for all Syrians.

The statement concluded that the document adopted by the conference reflects a free will, shared awareness, and determination to build a free, united, democratic, pluralistic, and decentralised Syria governed by the rule of law, where human dignity is protected and equality is ensured for all. The final document is expected to be made public in the coming days.

Held under the slogan “Together for diversity that strengthens our unity, and partnership that builds our future”, the conference brought together representatives of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), political parties, Druze and Alawite communities, women’s organisations, the Syriac Union Party, the Democratic Society Movement (TEVDEM), and Bishop of Jazira and Euphrates Mar Maurice Amsih. Among the attendees were DAANES Executive Council co-chairs Evin Swaid and Hussein Osman, and SDC co-chair Leila Qaraman.

During the conference on Thursday, Ilham Ahmed, head of the AANES Foreign Relations Department, emphasised that political pluralism is “an essential requirement for building a modern and inclusive Syria,” warning that a unilateral approach would only deepen crises and obstruct political solutions.

She stressed that the communities of North and East Syria must be included in any constitutional or negotiation process, describing their participation as “the core of the political and constitutional process.” Ahmed also urged that women’s rights be explicitly protected in the new Syrian constitution, calling for an end to all forms of oppression against women and ensuring their active role in political life.

“Equal political representation and safeguarding freedoms for all communities will help create the conditions for a sustainable settlement to the country’s prolonged conflict,” she said, warning that ignoring local demands would lead to further deterioration and division.

Calls for Integration and National Unity

The conference forms part of ongoing efforts in DAANES-administered areas to foster dialogue and coordination among diverse communities, promoting inclusive governance and reinforcing local stability. The region, governed by DAANES and secured by the SDF, has remained relatively insulated from the wider instability affecting other parts of Syria.

Concerns Over Interim Government Policies

In March, Sharaa approved a 53-article constitutional declaration granting himself sweeping powers, including the authority to appoint one-third of the legislature and all constitutional court judges. The court is the sole body able to hold the president accountable. Seventy of the 210 parliamentary seats will be appointed by presidential decree, leading observers to warn that the interim constitution risks entrenching authoritarianism and marginalising minorities.

Addressing the conference, DAANES Executive Council co-chair Hussein Othman called for intensified efforts to “reject sectarianism and racism, confront all attempts to sow discord, and work together to build a Syrian homeland that accommodates everyone.”

Tensions and Renewed Violence

In a video message to the conference, Hikmat al-Hajari, spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, described the event as “not just a political meeting but a call to the national conscience and a response to the cry of a people exhausted by wars and marginalisation.”

Hajari hails from the Druze-majority province of Suwayda, where renewed clashes on Sunday left two dead despite a fragile two-week ceasefire. The violence, which began on 13 July between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, escalated with the involvement of Syrian government forces and Israeli airstrikes in support of the Druze. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect on 18 July.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), more than 1,400 people have been killed in the conflict, with United Nations estimates placing the number of displaced at around 175,000.

“We, the sons of the Druze Unitarian community, stand alongside our Kurdish, Arab, Syriac, Yazidi, Turkmen, Circassian and other brothers to affirm that diversity is not a threat but a treasure that enhances our unity,” Hajari said.

He has been an outspoken critic of Damascus’ constitutional declaration, accusing Syrian authorities of being “extremist in every sense of the word.”



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