Bahçeli Slams Kurdish Unity Conference in Qamishlo as 'Foreign-Backed Project'
“The conference represents an affront to Syria’s territorial integrity and a provocation against Arab national unity,” Devlet Bahçeli said.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahçeli on Tuesday accused the Kurdish Unity and Solidarity Conference held in Qamishlo of being orchestrated with the backing of the United States and France, warning Kurdish groups against pursuing federalism or undermining Syrian sovereignty.
In a written statement released on Tuesday, Bahçeli, head of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), denounced the Kurdish conference as a geopolitical maneuver. He claimed the gathering—which united the Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNCS) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) was "organized under the supervision of Washington and Paris" and sought to "institutionalize separatism."
“A Direct Challenge to Damascus”
Bahçeli criticized the conference’s discussions on decentralization and federal governance in Syria, asserting that such proposals contradict the country’s unity. He applauded the Syrian government’s rejection of the conference’s resolutions and described the event as "an obstacle to the recent detente between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa."
“The conference represents an affront to Syria’s territorial integrity and a provocation against Arab national unity,” Bahçeli said, reiterating Ankara’s firm opposition to any federal arrangements in neighboring Syria.
Demands Directed at the Kurdish Left
Bahçeli urged the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) to "take a clear stance" against the Qamishlo conference and reiterated a call on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is designated as a terrorist organization by EU, US and Türkiye to disarm and commit to Abdullah Ocalan’s peace appeal.
“Any deviation from Ocalan’s declared approach will only deepen division and fuel regional instability,” he warned.
A Historic Gathering in Qamishlo
The strongly worded Turkish reaction comes just days after Kurdish political forces in northeastern Syria (Western Kurdistan) concluded the Kurdish Unity and Solidarity Conference in Qamishlo on Saturday. The event brought together over 400 delegates from political parties, civil society groups, women’s organizations, and independent Kurdish figures across Syria to articulate a shared Kurdish position for the future.
PYD and KNCS were the conference’s main stakeholders, each sending 130 members. Delegations from the Kurdistan Region, led by President Masoud Barzani’s envoy Dr. Hamid Darbandi, and members of Turkey’s Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) and Democratic Regions Party, also attended.
A Unified Kurdish Political Vision
The conference ratified a common Kurdish political document that calls for a democratic, decentralized Syria where Kurdish national rights are constitutionally guaranteed. The final communique, read by KNCS leader Muhammad Ismail, emphasized a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue, framed within a pluralistic national identity that respects all Syrian communities.
The conference’s closing declaration also included a commitment to form a joint Kurdish delegation to engage in direct talks with Damascus on the basis of the agreed political vision.
Turkish Alarm Over Federalism
Bahçeli’s comments reflect Ankara’s growing unease over rising Kurdish political coordination in Syria, especially in light of the Syrian regime’s recent agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to de-escalate tensions. Turkey views the SDF and PYD as extensions of the PKK and has long opposed any autonomous Kurdish region along its southern border.
