US Special Envoy to North and East Syria discusses political initiative, combating terrorism, and refugee resettlement with AANES officials

RAQQA, Syria — The US State Department Special Envoy to North and East Syria, Nicholas Granger, along with a diplomatic delegation, visited the headquarters of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

During the visit, they discussed the recent developments in Syria, particularly in North and East Syria, and the challenges faced by the AANES in political, economic, and humanitarian aspects. The discussion also focused on the issue of combating terrorism, including the status of ISIS fighters in detention centers and the need for justice for victims of terrorism.

Granger was also briefed on the recent AANES initiative to come to a political solution in Syria and host displaced Syrians currently living as refugees in Lebanon. Co-Chair of the AANES Executive Council Abd Hamed al-Mehbash confirmed AANES’s readiness to receive Syrian refugees in North and East Syria, stressing the need for international support to achieve this. Al-Mehbash also renewed his call for the international community to provide the required support to AANES in combating terrorism and eradicating it.

Granger welcomed the AANES’s initiatives and emphasized the US’s position in resolving the Syrian crisis politically, in line with UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254. This includes agreement from all Syrian ethnic components and democratic political reform of the Syrian government.

During the visit, Granger also inspected the Tabqa Dam in Raqqa and discussed its technical condition with the dam administration. They also talked about the impact of Turkey’s reduction of the flow of water of the Euphrates River.