Syriac, Kurdish, Druze, and Alawite representatives discuss concerns of repression and exclusion in Syria during press conference in The Hague

THE HAGUE — On Thursday, following a meeting with members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal) in The Hague, representatives of the Syriac, Kurdish, Druze, and Alawite communities held a press conference to discuss the current situation in Syria.

After the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, hopes for a democratic future in Syria were overshadowed by concerns about the inclusivity of the process spearheaded by the now President of the Syrian Transitional Government (STG) Ahmad al-Sharaa — once known as  Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, formerly the head of the now dissolved Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Recent developments have underscored significant shortcomings, with representatives from regions and groups unaffiliated with HTS being excluded from constitutional negotiations and decision-making mechanism.

The representatives visit to Dutch Parliament comes in the wake of the horrific violence targeting Alawites in western Syria that claimed over a thousand lives.

Organized by Sallux, the think-tank for the European Christian Political Movement (ECPM), the session was moderated by Sallux Director Johannes de Jong.

The panel of representatives consisted of Metin Rhawi — Representative of the European Syriac Union (ESU), Dr. Fuad Omar — Founding member of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and co-responsible for foreign relations in Europe, Ayham Azzam — Co-founder of Suwayda-based non-governmental organization Jouzour, and Dr. Ammar Waqqaf — Founder and Director of London-based think tank Gnosos.

Introductions and Overview

The press conference was opened by MP Don Ceder (ChristenUnie, CU) who thanked the four representatives for coming to the Tweede Kamer and discussing the discussing the realities on the ground in Syria. “When the Assad regime fell, a lot of colleagues of mine were happy without any reservation of what could take place [after],” said MP Ceder. “‘The Assad regime was bad, it was wicked, and now prosperity will follow.’ I was a bit more reserved.” There are marginalized groups that have a stake in the direction of the country, and their concerns about the new Syria need to be taken seriously, he said before excusing himself to attend a plenary discussion.

Each representative then gave a brief overview of the situation of their community in Syria. Rhawi and Dr. Omar both lauded the achievements made by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region in North and East Syria (DAARNES) and expressed the belief that the inclusive, decentralized system developed there could serve as a basis for all of Syria. “The Syrian Revolution was not fought so the oppressed could become the oppressor,” stated Rhawi. “We do not want to split Syria. We want a united Syria, a decentralized Syria, some kind of federative Syria that is up to the people of Syria to develop.”

“Over 14 years of war, the communities of northeast Syria have achieved peace and relative stability,” said Dr. Omar. “Through the Autonomous Administration model, all [communities] were able to participate in achieving civil peace.”

Women participate in political, social, and military life equally alongside men, he added. “For the first time in the history of the Middle East, Arabic, Kurdish, and Syriac have all been adopted as official languages.

The fall of the Assad regime represents an opportunity to build a better Syria, however, significant challenges remain, as evidenced by the systematic massacres of Alawites along the coast, said Dr. Omar.

“What we have now is a total breakdown of confidence between the Alawite community and the caretaker government in Damascus,” said Dr. Waqqaf. “I would suggest it’s almost irreversible.”

Dr. Waqqaf doubted Alwites would genuinely cooperate with the Investigative Committee and the Civil Peace Committee formed by the STG following the violence on the coast:

“When the committees were formed on Sunday, the killing was still on, it didn’t stop. And it hasn’t stopped until this morning. Which means either one of two things. The caretaker government is through dust in the eyes of the international community, ‘Look how responsible we are.’ Or the forces on the ground do not adhere to whatever Damascus is saying. Either way, it’s a problem.”

“People don’t trust the [caretaker] government,” said Azzam. “They make decisions without involving other parties. They also commit violation against minorities. What happened along the coast has made the people in Suwayda even more afraid.”

Superficial Minority Outreach and Individual Inclusion

When asked about the steps the caretaker government has taken to include their communities in the new Syria, the panel was in unanimous agreement that the STG’s outreach and inclusion has been superficial and piecemeal.

“The government in Damascus hasn’t done anything to include minority groups in decision-making,” said Azzam. “They have tried to give some assurances to the Druze community but not widespread assurances for every group.”

“The caretaker government is trying to manipulate all groups individually, but in the end, there is no real participation and representation,” he added.

The National Dialogue Conference consisted of invited individuals, not politicians, not political parties, not representatives of military factions who have preserved security in several regions,” added Rhawi. “They invited some individual Alawites, some Kurds, some Syriacs, some Druze, but not the true representatives of those people.”

“They are seeking deliberately to appoint people who are nobodies and have no representational capacity whatsoever, and that is further antagonizing the communities,” said Dr. Waqqaf.

Internal Extremist Dynamics

Halfway through the session, MP Isa Kahraman (Nieuw Sociaal Contract, NSC), just having finished advancing a motion calling on the Dutch government to support minorities in Syria he jointly submitted with MP Ceder, entered and asked several questions.

MP Kahraman first hailed the fall of the Assad regime and condemned the violence that followed. He then asked about the number of foreign fighters in the ranks of the STG. “Nobody actually knows but the general wisdom is about 20,000,” answered Dr. Waqqaf.

He also explained that it is crucial to recognize that al-Sharaa lacks authority over the other factions that are led and financed by Turkey, who are competing for the same base of support.

Last Thursday evening, those groups that despise HTS and have previously fought against it saw this as an ideal chance to demonstrate to HTS’s supporters how things should be done, Dr. Waqqaf continued. Consequently, they escalated their actions. Thus, there is a contest for the backing of right-wing extremists in Syria, and those factions could easily turn on each other at any moment, he warned

SDF-STG Agreement

“I also saw the agreement signed between the SDF and the [STG] which mentioned the rights of the Kurdish people, but I didn’t see anything about the rights of the Syriacs, who are also part of the SDF, and maybe the Arabs and other groups who are part of the SDF,” stated MP Kahraman. “Why didn’t they mention all minorities in the SDF in the agreement?”

The agreement signed between General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa was viewed by all representatives as a positive step forward. It was noted, however, that the absence of other ethnic components from the agreement was a mistake and one that should be corrected in the future.

Rhawi replied:

“The agreement signed between Mazloum Abdi and the interim president should be carefully followed up. It is a very, very good first step. Because any agreement that could lead to peace or better conditions in Syria is good. But it cannot be an agreement between certain ethnic groups and leaving others behind. Our political party on the ground, the Syriac Union Party, released a statement asking the same question.”

On Friday, senior Kurdish politician and former Co-Chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria (DAARNES) Foreign Relations Commission Badran Jia Kurd stated that the Constitutional Declaration signed by al-Sharaa on Thursday evening violates the agreement signed between the SDF and the STG.

قبل عدة أيام وقع اتفاق بين الجنرال مظلوم عبدي قائد قوات سوريا الديمقراطية والسيد أحمد الشرع في دمشق، بهدف إنهاء الصراعات الجارية بطرق سلمية عبر الحوار والمشاركة الفعلية لجميع السوريين، ولا سيما مكونات شمال شرق سوريا، في العملية السياسية وفي اللجان والهياكل المعنية بالمرحلة…

— Bedran Çiya Kurd (@BedranCiyakurd) March 14, 2025