POLITICS

DARAMSUQ — In an interview with Suroyo TV on Sunday, Member of Presidential Council of Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d’Bethnahrin, MUB) Echoua Gouriye condemned the terrorist attack that targeted the Greek (Rûm) Orthodox Church of Mar Elias in Daramsuq (Damascus). He stated that attacks and persecution against the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people, and Christians in…

BEIRUT — Amid rising tensions in the region, particularly the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized the urgent need to keep Lebanon out of regional wars.  Speaking to the press, Joseph Aoun, a Syriac Maronite, stated that Lebanon does not…

ZALIN (QAMISHLI), North and East Syria — In a wide-ranging interview with the Turkish newspaper Yeni Özgür Politika, Mazloum Abdi, the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), described a reported request from Abdullah Öcalan to meet him as “a great source of honor and happiness.”  Abdi, a key military…

BEIRUT — Ibrahim Mrad, President of the Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP), hailed Sunday’s U.S. strikes targeting Iranian nuclear reactors as a long-overdue and necessary step but emphasized that it would remain incomplete without a historic follow-up: the full dismantling of the ruling clerical regime in Tehran. In a statement…

BEIRUT — Amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel and growing global concern over the consequences of the conflict, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, issued a statement affirming Hezbollah’s unwavering support for Iran, its leadership, and its people. “We are not neutral in the ongoing confrontation between Iran and Israel,”…

ISTANBUL — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in Istanbul on Friday evening. The visit follows an official invitation from Erdogan and is intended to smooth relations between Turkey and Armenia. Erdoğan officially welcomed Pashinyan at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Palace. The official ceremony was…

ANKARA — Amid ongoing discussions about peace efforts in Turkey, Bar Associations from 16 provinces in Turkey’s east-southeastern provinces – where the Syriac Tur Abdin is located within a majority Kurdish area – presented a detailed roadmap to Turkish Parliament. The Bar associations call on the government to adopt a 17-point…

MARMARA, Turkey — A delegation from Turkey’s opposition Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi, DEM Party) met with nine detained politicians in Silivri Prison on Sunday, including prominent figures such as Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu (Republican People’s Party, CHP), former Van Mayor Bekir Kaya (Democratic Regions…

DARAMSUQ — A delegation representing the Syriac (Aramean–Aramean–Chaldean) community met with Abbas Hussein, Syrian government Director of Political Affairs for Hasakah in Daramsuq (Damascus). The delegation was led by Silva al-Asia and included representatives from Churches and political parties representing the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) community. During discussions, Hussein addressed the delegation’s…

BEIRUT — President of the Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP) Ibrahim Mrad described the recent visit of US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack to Lebanon as arriving at a pivotal and delicate moment amid the country’s deepening political and economic crisis. In a public statement…