Somali delegation visits Foreign Relations Commission of North and East Syria

ZALIN, Syria — A delegation including Mr. Farhan Gurhan, Chargé d’Affairs of the Somali Embassy in Daramsuq (Damascus), and Ms. Natasha Stojkovska, Head of the UNICEF office in North and East Syria, recently visited the Foreign Relations Commission of the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North and East Syria.

The delegation was received by Dr. Abdul Karim Omar, Co-Chair of the Foreign Relations Commission, Fanar al-Kait, Deputy Co-Chair of the Executive Council, and Sana Daham, member of the Commission’s administrative body, at the Commission headquarters in Zalin (Qamishli).

The parties discussed many political and economic issues regarding the situation in Syria in general and North and East Syria in particular, including the issues of dialogue between the DAA and the Syrian regime and the ongoing Turkish threats to the region.

Dr. Abdul Karim Omar stated:

“Since its establishment, the Autonomous Administration has been able to provide many services to the people of the region, managing about 5 million citizens in addition to tens of thousands of people who were displaced from other regions and cities in search of a safe haven, and with great sacrifices they were able to liberate a third of Syria’s territory from terrorism, with all elements of society contributing to the elimination of terrorist threats.”

He also stressed that the success of the DAA depends on decentralization. 

The parties also discussed current challenges faced by the DAA, including continued terrorist threats, economic challenges which have built over the years as a result of Syria’s ongoing crisis, and the current siege being imposed on the region, especially after the closure of the Tel Kojer (Al-Yaroubiya) border crossing. They also discussed the exacerbating effect of the coronavirus pandemic on all of these issues, noting that most relief and humanitarian aid provided to Syria by international organizations flows through Daramsuq, with very little reaching North and East Syria.

Somali Chargé d’Affairs Farhan Gurhan expressed his regret over the humanitarian situation, saying: 

“We believe that the basic solution to the Syrian crisis can begin when brotherly Arab countries and all Syrian parties begin to assume their responsibilities towards Syria, and we would like to express our thanks to the Democratic Autonomous Administration for maintaining the lives of Somali nationals, preserving their human rights and taking care of them in camps and detention centres.”

Deputy Co-Chair al-Kait indicated that his government’s goal is to secure peace and justice for all the region’s peoples. The DAA project does not threaten the unity of Syria and does not threaten the security and stability of neighboring countries, he continued.