Syriac Strategic Studies Center concludes conference on Lausanne Treaty’s impact on Syriac people

ZALIN, Syria — The Syriac Strategic Studies Center (SSSC) successfully concluded its conference on the Treaty of Lausanne, delving into its significance and impact on the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people.

Under the banner The Syriac People and the Lausanne Treaty: Preserving a People and Rights in a Changing World, the conference took place in Zalin (Qamishli), North and East Syria, on Sunday.

Representatives from the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d’Bethnahrin, MUB), Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) political parties, and civil society organizations participated in the event, engaging in comprehensive discussions on various aspects of the Treaty and its historical consequences.

The conference commenced with Member of the MUB Presidential Committee Echoue Gouriye shedding light on the pre-Lausanne Treaty era, including the First World War and the Sayfo Genocide, and their profound effects on the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) community.

Co-Chair of the General Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) Siham Quryo led the second axis of the conference, which was focused on dissecting the Lausanne Treaty itself, its outcomes, and its contents.

Syriac Union Party (SUP) Co-Chair Sanharib Barsom addressed the third axis discussing the aftermath of the signing of the Lausanne Treaty and its impact on the reality of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people.

The conference also featured insightful interventions via Skype, with contributions being made by former member of Turkish Parliament Tuma Çelik, former member of Iraqi Parliament Joseph Sliwa, and Secretary-General of the Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP) in Lebanon Michel Mallo.

Richard Ghazal, the Executive Director of In Defense of Christians, virtually addressed the conference.

Ghazal discussed the flaws of the treaty and its ongoing impact on the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people.

He argued that the treaty inadequately recognized the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean). Despite their significant contributions to history and culture, the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people have faced persecution, including the Ottoman-perpetrated genocide known as Sayfo.

The Treaty of Lausanne failed to acknowledge the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people as a distinct non-Muslim minority, denying them rights such as religious freedom, language rights, and equal treatment under Turkish law, said Ghazal. As a result, Syriacs (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) in Turkey have been marginalized and subjected to discrimination, even facing state-permitted violence and forced assimilation. The Turkish legal system has been used against them, leading to imprisonment of community leaders and clergy on fabricated charges, he said.

Ghazal continued:

“The only way to rectify the destructive legacy of Lausanne is to make certain that future international accords recognize the existence of Syriacs as a distinct people.  It is critical that the international community take a strong position to rectify this historical flaw, for the sake of the continuity of the indigenous Syriac people of Turkey, and in the greater Middle East.

The indigenous Syriacs of Mesopotamia, and their cultural legacy, are an indelible part of our shared world heritage, as Western civilization is indeed a beneficiary of Syriac heritage.  The survival of the Syriac people and heritage is more than just a political matter…in fact, it’s more than just a humanitarian matter.  It’s a civilizational question.  If the world allows the Syriac heritage to be smothered by the hostile state policies of a supposed ‘modern republic’, what could that eventually mean for the future of western civilization?”

Attending the event in person was President of the International Religious Freedom Secretariat and former Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Nadine Maenza.

Speaking about the treaty, its consequences, and the US perspective, Maenza stated that the American public know little about the treaties of Lausanne and Sèvres, despite their global effect.

“With US President Woodrow Wilson leaving power, the allies signed the Treaty of Lausanne, and Turkey was able to impose its own conditions on the allies. A prospective Kurdistan was erased and the rights of religious and ethnic minorities were not taken into account,” she said.

Maenza stressed that the entire international community has paid a high price, but no one has paid more than religious and ethnic minorities such as Christians, including Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans), and Kurds.

Highlighting the commendable governance established by the residents of North and East Syria, where all peoples are welcome to participate regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or gender, Maenza drew attention to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s fear of this democratic experience and his desire to dismantle it.

Maenza called on the US and the international community to learn from past mistakes and avoid repeating history since the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne.