Syrian Kurds open diplomatic mission in France

The Self-Ruled Democratic Administration of Syrian's northern Kurdish region (Rojava) inaugurated an overseas representative office in the capital of France.

PARIS, France (Kurdistan24) – On Monday, the autonomous democratic administration of Syria’s northern Kurdish region (Rojava) inaugurated an overseas representative office in the capital of France, although the idea was initially rejected by France’s Foreign Ministry.

In central Paris, the foreign representative office for Rojava was opened while several French and European officials and celebrities were present. Sinam Mohammad is the European Representative of the Rojava autonomous democratic administration, the de-facto government running Kurdish-held northern Syria.

Speaking to Kurdistan24, Nawaf Khalil, head of the Germany-based Kurdish Center for Studies (KCS) and a spokesperson for the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Europe, said on Tuesday that the opening of the office was not recognized at the beginning, but was recently officially accepted.

“Approving the diplomatic mission of Rojava in France is a significant step that reflects the powerful measures of the Kurdish-led democratic experiment in northern Syria,” Khalil said.

He added that many leading Parisian figures, including the philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy and Bernard Kouchner, the former French foreign minister and Doctors Without Borders co-founder, attended the inauguration ceremony.  

Commenting on the new move by Syrian Kurds in France, Sinam Mohammad told the Paris-based international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Syrian Kurds are fighting not only for themselves but also for establishing a democratic model for Syria and defending humane values in the world.

“Our priority is to defeat terrorism and create stability in Syria,” she said.

 

[Sinam Mohamad, the European Representative of the Rojava autonomous democratic administration, the de-facto government running Kurdish-held northern Syria, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Rojava diplomatic mission in Paris on May 23, 2016. (Photo: AFP/Dominique Faget)]  

 

In an earlier interview with Kurdistan24, Amina Osse, Deputy Foreign Affairs Manager of Jazira Canton in Rojava, said that opening diplomatic missions for Rojava in many European countries is a 2016 priority.

“The diplomatic missions aim at promoting friendly relations between the host countries and Rojava, and introducing the international community and the active powers to the unique democratic experience of Rojava,” she said.

The Rojava diplomatic mission in France is the sixth one following the opening of the first in the city of Sulaimani in the Kurdistan Region on Aug. 15, 2015.

The second one was opened in Moscow on Feb. 10, the third one in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, on April 3, the fourth one in Stockholm on April 17, and the fifth one in Berlin on May 6.

 

Reporting by Hisham Arafat

Editing by Ava Homa and Karzan Sulaivany