SDC Representative in Washington Bassam Ishak: “Dialogue, respect, and justice are the only path to Syrian consensus and lasting stability”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amid rapidly unfolding developments in Syria, particularly concerning the March 10 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) continues a series of high-level meetings with officials and lawmakers in Europe and the United States to convey its political messages and key demands.

Bassam Ishak, a member of the SDC’s representation office in Washington and President of the Syriac National Council in Syria (SSNC), issued a press statement detailing a recent meeting he held alongside SDC Washington Co-Chair Sinam Mohamad with US Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

“As part of an intensive series of meetings conducted by the SDC’s Washington office, we held an important meeting last Friday with Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, attended by several of his advisers,” Ishak stated.

He described the meeting as “friendly and frank,” allowing the delegation to clearly express the Council’s political views and concerns.

According to Ishak, the delegation stressed that Syrians who maintain access to decision-making circles in Washington will continue advocating for a vision of a state that guarantees equal protection and rights for all its components — “through action, not slogans.”

He warned against the rise of hateful media rhetoric aimed at deepening divisions between Arabs and Kurds in eastern Euphrates, stating that “sectarian incitement is not a path to legitimacy but a recipe for civil war.”

Ishak further emphasized that efforts to demonize the SDF in the media represent “a direct violation of the 10 March agreement” and seriously damage relations at a time when “building trust is more essential than ever.”

“We stressed that any agreement among Syrians must be based on mutual respect and sincere conviction — not pressure, manipulation, or threats, as was common under the Assad regime,” he added. “We also made it clear that remaining silent in the face of violations against national components — from the coast to Damascus to Suwayda — is unacceptable.”

“These violations only erode confidence between Syrians and the emerging Syrian administration,” Ishak said. “We firmly reject the repetition of such practices anywhere in Syria.”

He concluded by affirming that “dialogue, respect, and justice are the only paths to Syrian consensus and lasting stability — not force or domination.”