Syria
Perwin Yousef, co-chair of northeast Syria's (Rojava) ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD), speaking to Rudaw on January 25, 2025. Photo: Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The co-chair of northeast Syria’s (Rojava) ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) called on the Kurdistan Region to encourage the main opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) to engage in Kurdish unity talks and to prioritize the Kurdish cause.
“It is expected that especially after the visit of Mr. Mazloum Abdi to the Kurdistan Region, the responsibility now falls on the Kurdistan Region’s shoulders and the government of the Kurdistan Region should put pressure on the ENKS,” PYD co-chair Perwin Yousef told Rudaw on Saturday.
Earlier this month, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani held a historic meeting with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Abdi in Erbil to discuss Kurdish unity talks against the backdrop of the events in Syria, over a month after an Islamist-led coalition toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The developments have pressured Rojava’s opposing coalitions to accelerate Kurdish unity talks.
Yousef said that while meetings have yet to take place, the PYD is hopeful that they will happen in the near future.
“We are ready for unity,” she stressed.
On Tuesday, Barzani received an ENKS delegation to discuss unity and rapprochement among the Kurdish parties in Syria. ENKS has close ties with the KDP.
PYD and ENKS signed a historic agreement, mediated by Barzani, in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province in 2015 to end tensions and share power in Rojava, but the deal was never implemented and each side blamed the other for its failure.
Disagreements between the two fronts have stalled unity talks for years.
Last month, Abdi met with an ENKS delegation, in the presence of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), to discuss Kurdish unity going forward.
“It is expected that especially after the visit of Mr. Mazloum Abdi to the Kurdistan Region, the responsibility now falls on the Kurdistan Region’s shoulders and the government of the Kurdistan Region should put pressure on the ENKS,” PYD co-chair Perwin Yousef told Rudaw on Saturday.
Earlier this month, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani held a historic meeting with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Abdi in Erbil to discuss Kurdish unity talks against the backdrop of the events in Syria, over a month after an Islamist-led coalition toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The developments have pressured Rojava’s opposing coalitions to accelerate Kurdish unity talks.
Yousef said that while meetings have yet to take place, the PYD is hopeful that they will happen in the near future.
“We are ready for unity,” she stressed.
On Tuesday, Barzani received an ENKS delegation to discuss unity and rapprochement among the Kurdish parties in Syria. ENKS has close ties with the KDP.
PYD and ENKS signed a historic agreement, mediated by Barzani, in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province in 2015 to end tensions and share power in Rojava, but the deal was never implemented and each side blamed the other for its failure.
Disagreements between the two fronts have stalled unity talks for years.
Last month, Abdi met with an ENKS delegation, in the presence of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), to discuss Kurdish unity going forward.
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