North and East Syria: German Foreign Ministry delegation visits Foreign Relations Department of Democratic Autonomous Administration

ZALIN (Qamishli), North and East Syria — Co-Chair of Foreign Relations Department of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria (DAARNES) Gulistan Ali and Executive Committee Member Khalid Ibrahim received a German delegation led by Head of Consular and Legal Affairs at the German Foreign Ministry Christian Klein.   

Discussions focused on the tumultuous developments in Syria and DAARNES’s call for political dialogue with the center to resolve the crisis. Updates were provided on ongoing talks between DAARNES and the Syrian Transitional Government (STG), including constitutional discussions and formed committees. The Syriac Union Party is part of these so-called Dialogue Committees which have the goal to preserve the political and social unity of Syria but with strong [constitutional] guarantees for the rights of all Syrian components.

The role of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the Syriac Military Council is a co-founder, in defeating the Islamic State (ISIS) and the need for continued U.S.-led International Coalition cooperation were also discussed. Alongside this, the German delegation reviewed with the Gulistan Ali the outcomes of the recent Kurdish unity conference, which established a shared political vision for a democratic, decentralized solution to the Kurdish question in Syria.

Head of Consular and Legal Affairs at the German Foreign Ministry Christian Klein expressed appreciation for DAARNES’ governance structure, particularly its management of camps and security organizations operating in North and East Syria. 

The meeting concluded with the transfer of a woman and 4 children, family members of German ISIS detainees, to German authorities under a formal repatriation agreement.