Syriac Voice Calls for Inclusion and Justice in Turkey’s Fragile Peace Process

ZURICH — A fragile new phase of peace negotiations is unfolding in Turkey, as political leaders, civil society groups, and opposition movements cautiously explore ways to resolve the country’s long-running question of the lack of inclusive and equal democracy for all peoples and the Kurdish issue. Yet for the Syriac people — one of the oldest Christian peoples of Beth Nahrain (Mesopotamia)— hope remains tempered by a deep well of mistrust. 

“Because our hopes have been shattered so many times in the past, fear and distrust are still very strong within the Syriac community,” said Shleymun Rhawi, spokesperson for the European Syriac Union (ESU) in Switzerland. “But still, our people in Turkey and in the diaspora follow developments closely and believe that this process, if it succeeds, will benefit everyone. We support it.” 

The current initiative began last October, when extreme nationalist leader Devlet Bahçeli floated the idea of dialogue, and intensified in February with the release of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s “Manifesto for Peace and a Democratic Society.” In the months that followed, the PKK declared its endorsement of the plan, staged a symbolic disarmament ceremony, and Turkey’s parliament formed the “Commission for National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy.” 

The commission, launched with the support of all major parties except the nationalist İYİ Party, is now comprised of 55 members. Through the DEM Party, Syriac representatives are nominally included — but Rhawi warned that meaningful engagement has yet to materialize. 

“Until now, Syriac representatives have not been formally invited to the commission,” he said. “The fact that only the name of the Federation of Syriac Associations [Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu, SÜDEF] was added to the DEM Party’s list raises expectations but also concerns. It is essential that the commission listen to Syriac voices, their demands, and the pressures they have faced.” 

For Syriacs, the issue of recognition extends far beyond the 1980s and 1990s, when they endured forced displacement, village burnings, and a string of unsolved murders during the height of the conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK. It reaches back to 1915, when Syriacs, Armenians, and Greeks were slaughtered in large numbers by premeditated massacres by Ottoman Turks and Kurds in what survivors remember as the Sayfo genocide. 

“Any effort to build peace in Turkey cannot be credible without confronting the past,” Elber Rhawi said. “All peoples of this land carry deep wounds. Syriacs will never forget the genocide of 1915. As long as the Turkish Republic denies this historical reality, the problem will persist.” 

While gestures such as the opening of the Mor Efrem Church in Istanbul and limited returns of confiscated church properties offered some hope in past years, Syriac leaders point out that such reforms often stall once international scrutiny recedes. The Dolmabahçe Agreement of 2015, which promised progress on the Kurdish issue, collapsed without lasting change. 

“This time must be different,” Shleymun Rhawi stressed. “A way out lies only in a transparent, sincere negotiating table, based on the will of the peoples themselves. Negotiations should not be reduced to the question of disarmament. Identities and freedoms must be guaranteed in the constitution.” 

The broader context complicates the picture: while Ankara speaks of peace and unity at home, its military operations in northern Syria, repression of opposition parties, and continued use of trustees to replace elected mayors undermine confidence. 

“In such a contradictory environment, who can truly feel secure?” Shleymun Rhawi asked. 

Despite these doubts, Syriac organizations are determined to engage constructively. The ESU has pledged to support peace commissions, dialogue platforms, and democratic initiatives both in Turkey and abroad, working in political, cultural, and diplomatic fields. 

“The Syriac people are among those who need peace, freedom, and democracy most urgently,” Elber Rhawi said. “That is why every peace initiative, every human step taken, carries immense value for us. We are ready to fulfill our responsibilities.” 

For a community that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands across southeastern Turkey but was decimated by war, displacement, and migration, the stakes of this fragile process could not be higher.