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Have the Outcomes of the Qamishli Conference Been Obstructed? 2/2
With these steps, Turkey has come closer to achieving what it has been striving for over the past fifteen years through conferences, alliances, and pressure on Europe and America—yet without significant results. Today, however, Turkey faces greater fear than ever before—an anxiety that has deepened since the moment the Autonomous Administration was established, intensified with the rise of SDF forces, and reached its peak after defeating ISIS and collapsing its so-called state. Now, it fears the imposition of a non-centralized federal system in Syria, which would make Western Kurdistan an internationally recognized administrative entity, similar to what happened in South Kurdistan after Iraq’s 2005 constitution. Back then, Ankara fiercely opposed Iraqi federalism at the UN but failed. Since then, it has dealt with the region through unscrupulous methods—and continues to do so.
Therefore, today Turkey is nearly convinced that the U.S. and the international coalition will not abandon SDF—that they actually support Kurdish rights in a future Syria. Consequently, Ankara is doing everything possible to create a new rift between the two Kurdish factions that managed to hold the Qamishli Conference and form the Autonomous Administration.
The stagnation dominating the Autonomous Administration emerging from the Qamishli Conference can only be explained in the context of a larger political game played at the expense of the Kurdish people and their cause. If others are planning to marginalize us or push us to the margins of history, the primary responsibility lies with us—on our ability to transform conference outputs from documents into action.
It is not enough to remain silent or wait for Ankara, Moscow, or Washington to decide. What this historic moment needs is bold action:
- The Autonomous Administration should reopen channels of dialogue with all Kurdish forces without exception and transcend narrow partisan calculations.
- It should activate its presence on the Syrian scene by engaging in dialogue with other national components; otherwise, the Kurdish issue will once again be reduced to a matter of cultural minorities.
- It must confront international powers clearly, based on the strength of truth and history, affirming that a political solution in Syria cannot be democratic without constitutional recognition of the Kurdish people and their national rights.
- Work on forming the state through activating the departments and institutions that the transitional government has sabotaged, and begin preparing structures capable of managing public affairs nationally, linked to legitimate international bodies rather than narrow partisan frameworks—structures ready for upcoming dialogues and agreements at any moment.
History has proven that ignoring the Kurds never brought stability to Syria or the region. If Turkey and its allies fear federalism because it recognizes a well-established geographic, national, and human reality, the response should not be retreat but rather a firmer adherence to the option of a decentralized, democratic federal Syria where Kurds are an integral part of the fabric, not marginal entities excluded when drafting constitutions.
The Autonomous Administration must realize that its current paralysis means losing a historic opportunity that may never recur. The stage is critical, and major powers are redrawing new maps for the region. Those who do not secure their seat now will be left behind tomorrow.
Therefore, I, Dr. Mahmoud Abbas, on behalf of all sincere Kurdish national forces, make a clear and explicit appeal to the Autonomous Administration, the Kurdish National Council, all parties, and cultural unions—to overcome narrow disagreements and unite around a comprehensive national stance worthy of the sacrifices of the martyrs and the resilience of the people. History will not forgive, and today’s decisive moment may not be repeated. Those who do not secure their place in it will be excluded from the train of the future tomorrow.
Dr. Mahmoud Abbas
