KNCS Calls for 'Serious Dialogue' with Damascus to Secure Rights in a New Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a marked and timely appeal, the Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNCS, or known in Kurdish as ENKS) has formally emphasized the necessity of holding "serious dialogue" with the new government in Damascus to determine the future governance model of the state and to secure a just and comprehensive solution for the long-marginalized Kurdish issue. 

The call, articulated in a detailed statement, positions the KNCS as a key proponent of a negotiated political settlement, advocating for a pluralistic and democratic Syria that constitutionally recognizes the rights and aspirations of all its diverse components, including the Kurds.

The KNCS statement, released at a critical juncture in Syria's fragile transition, calls for a new era of "cooperation and joint work among all components of the Syrian people." This collaboration, the council insists, "must be in a way that guarantees the fulfillment of everyone's aspirations in a pluralistic, democratic state that includes all of Syria's components."

The statement also urges a collective focus on the monumental task of "building the new Syrian state," a process that it argues requires the "active and inclusive participation of all components of Syrian society."

While extending a hand of partnership, the council also took the opportunity to highlight the historic and vital role the Kurdish people have played in developing political life in Syria, a contribution made despite decades of systemic marginalization and the denial of their fundamental national rights.

This formal call for dialogue builds on a series of recent statements from KNCS officials who have been carefully articulating their vision for the future of the Kurdish community within a unified but decentralized Syria.

Speaking to Kurdistan24 on Saturday, Ibrahim Biro, a member of the KNCS Foreign Relations Committee, emphasized that no Kurdish party in Western Kurdistan (northeastern Syria) has ever called for separation or full independence. 

He characterized the current political climate as a "different and positive situation" for the Kurds in Syria, suggesting that the new government in Damascus "has provided an opportunity for the Kurds to obtain their rights through the constitution and dialogue."

However, this optimism is tempered with a sharp critique of the current negotiation framework, which has been dominated by military actors.

Biro specifically criticized the March 10, 2025, agreement signed between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi. He argued that the SDF-Damascus agreement was a "mistake because a political agreement should have been made first." 

In his view, a military commander like Abdi should not have been the one to broker a political future. "Instead," Biro contended, "a comprehensive Kurdish political delegation should have conducted the dialogue with Damascus to protect the rights of the Kurds and represent all Kurds in Syria, because this way, the Kurdish issue has been militarized." 

He confirmed that the Damascus government has not yet met with the Kurdish political parties and that the KNCS has repeatedly requested direct meetings with what it considers to be the "true representatives of the Kurds" to resolve the issue.

The KNCS's preference for a political track over a military one is rooted in a broader vision for a decentralized Syrian state. In a recent exclusive interview with Kurdistan24, Faisal Youssef, the spokesperson for the KNCS, elaborated on this position, stating unequivocally, "Kurds seek partnership in Syria, not partition." 

He argued that the Baathist regime's policy of extreme centralization was the root cause of the country's collapse and that the future must be built on a different foundation.

"We are saying we are moving towards the construction of a new state because the centralization of Bashar al-Assad and the Ba’ath party has brought Syria to this point," Youssef said. "We have a distinct identity as a people on our own land within Syria, and this right must be guaranteed in the constitution."

This call for dialogue is being made in an incredibly complex and volatile environment.

While the new government in Damascus has made overtures to the Kurds, its official stance on Kurdish aspirations remains ambiguous and, at times, contradictory.

In a recent televised interview, President al-Sharaa confirmed that an agreement with the SDF was "sealed" but immediately qualified this by insisting that the SDF "does not represent the entirety of the Syrian Kurdish population" and that any demand for federalism would be "harmful for all."

He stated that Damascus is "ready to accommodate diversity within a unified Syrian state" but also vowed that Syria "will not cede a single grain of soil."

This insistence on a strong central state is being directly challenged not only by the Kurds but by a growing chorus of Syria's other minority communities.

As previously reported by Kurdistan24, representatives of Syria’s Kurdish, Alawite, Druze, and Christian communities recently gathered in a U.S. Congress building to declare their collective dissatisfaction with the policies of the Damascus government and to advocate for a federal and decentralized system.

This political mobilization is a direct response to a wave of post-Baathist violence, including massacres in the coastal Alawite provinces and the extrajudicial execution of dozens of Druze civilians in Sweida by government forces.

The situation on the ground remains tense and unpredictable. Fierce clashes erupted just last week in eastern Aleppo between the SDF and Syrian government units, with both sides exchanging heavy weapons fire and issuing starkly contradictory statements.

At the same time, the new Syrian government is attempting to reintegrate into the international community, with President al-Sharaa set to address the United Nations General Assembly later this month.

Meanwhile, in Kurdish-majority areas like Afrin, a new form of marginalization appears to be taking hold, with Kurdish judges and judicial staff reporting a systematic campaign to push them out of their positions and replace them with Arab appointees, a move they describe as a violation of Syria’s new constitution.

It is within this maelstrom of political maneuvering, military tension, and communal anxiety that the KNCS has issued its call for "serious dialogue." 

The council's statement represents a clear and calculated effort to insert a unified and explicitly political Kurdish voice into the heart of the debate over Syria's future, advocating for a path of negotiation and constitutional reform as the only viable alternative to renewed conflict and fragmentation.