Syriac youth withdraw from Middle East and North Africa Youth Conference final statement citing lack of consideration for issues affecting Syriacs

BEIRUT — In a surprising turn of events, the final day of the Middle East and North Africa Youth Conference did not proceed as expected, according to Sobhi Malki, Co-Chair of the Syriac Progressive Youth Union in Syria.

In comments to our news desk, Malki stated that Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) youth from Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon decided to withdraw from the final statement of the conference due to a lack of respect for the considerations of the issues facing the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people.

Malki explained that the withdrawal was prompted by reservations over the content of the final statement and the process of its drafting, stating it was not democratic and included items that neither serve the issue of Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people, their national struggle, or their rights.

“The Syriac youth decided to withdraw from the final statement because it did not align with their interests,” Malki noted, highlighting the active role played by Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) youth during the conference’s preparation and proceedings.

Despite the withdrawal, Malki pointed out that the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) youth had valuable interactions with various youth movements and successfully introduced the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people and their struggles to participants from different countries.

Correction 16 June 2024 at 13:30: A previous version of this article was published under the headline “Syriac youth withdraw from Middle East and North Africa Youth Conference citing lack of consideration for issues affecting Syriacs”. It has been changed to “Syriac youth withdraw from Middle East and North Africa Youth Conference final statement citing lack of consideration for issues affecting Syriacs” for accuracy.

A mistranslation of a quote from Co-Chair of the Syriac Progressive Youth Union in Syria Sobhi Malki was also corrected.