Second Stockholm Meeting emphasizes decentralized democratic system for Syria

STOCKHOLM — At the invitation of the Olof Palme International Center and in partnership with the Preparatory Committee for the Conference of National Forces and Personalities, the Second Stockholm Meeting was held from 9-10 April. The first meeting was held in December 2021.

Democratic figures and representatives of many Syrian political parties, including Co-Chair of the Syriac Union Party (SUP) Nazira Goreya, attended the meeting.

During intensive and focused sessions and dialogues, the agenda prepared by the Preparatory Committee was discussed. The agenda revolved around several topics, including the current status of the Syrian revolution, which has drifted away from the people’s desire for freedom and dignity and has largely become a conflict between the Syrian regime, regional forces, and extremist forces.

The attendees declared that the current division of Syrian territory into regions of control by various actors threatens a long-term fragmentation unless efforts were exerted to restore Syria’s territorial integrity through an organized democratic framework.

The sessions also included tackling difficult issues and discussing the form a decentralized, democratic system based on equal citizenship and guaranteed rights would take.

Continuation of meetings and networking were stressed, in addition to working on the next meeting to reach the conference desired goals.