Syria
Christiane Hohmann, Germany’s ambassador to Iraq, speaking during a panel discussion at the Erbil Forum on February 26, 2025. Photo: Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany’s ambassador to Iraq on Wednesday said that Berlin’s stance on new Syria remains flexible, while Kurdish representatives have accused Damascus of exclusion and insisted on the establishment of a decentralized system.
Speaking at the Erbil Forum on Wednesday, Christiane Hohmann, emphasized that Germany’s stance on Syria is adaptable to developments on the ground.
“Our positions are not set in stone. They are flexible. But we react either way. And that depends on what happens really on the ground,” she said.
She stressed the need for an inclusive political process to ensure all Syrians feel represented.
“You don't want to exclude [people] again,” she said, adding that Damascus needs an inclusive process if the new rulers want to “kickstart an economy, to actually kickstart a political system that people, the Syrian people, feel represented in and not excluded.”
Hundreds of Syrians gathered in Damascus on Tuesday to participate in the National Dialogue Conference, which was pledged by Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in late January as a prelude to holding free and fair elections, establishing an inclusive government, and drafting a new constitution.
However, the event sparked a wave of criticism after 35 political parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) issued a joint statement calling its outcomes “meaningless and of no value.” The parties questioned whether the conference could “pave the way for a genuine solution to the country’s crisis.”
Faysal Yousef, spokesperson for the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC), condemned the exclusion of Kurds from the conference, calling it a “bad sign” and urging greater inclusivity.
Siamend Hajo, head of the Office for External Relations of the Syrian Kurdistan Front, also criticized the absence of Kurds at the Erbil event.
“In Syria… the power was disastrously left in the hands of only one group,” he said at the Erbil Forum.
He argued that federalism is the best way to ensure Kurdish rights, stating, “We need guarantees as Kurds.”
Despite the new Islamist authorities in Damascus rejecting federalism - at times labeling it a “red line”- the Kurdish-controlled northeast and the Druze in the south remain firm in their vision for decentralization in post-Assad Syria.
“The new administration is not very different from the Baathist regime regarding the Kurds. They do not recognize the Kurds,” Hajo claimed.
Amid concerns over Kurdish representation, Kurdish ruling and opposition parties are working to overcome their differences in order to present a united front in dealings with Damascus. In late January, ENKS, an umbrella group of Kurdish opposition, and Rojava’s ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) agreed to send a joint delegation to Damascus to discuss the future of Kurds in Syria.
“We [the Kurds] should have had one Kurdish delegation in Damascus to discuss our main issues with them. This is a big fault of ours,” Hajo said.
Concerns persist over the potential for the new administration to impose strict Islamic rule, particularly among minority groups such as Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites.
After Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, a transitional government was formed under Sharaa, who has repeatedly stated that all communities' rights will be protected.
Hohmann said Germany and its partners are monitoring developments closely.
“We hear announcements, but we also want to see proof of it in reality. So I think we share the cautious approach that actual partners here in the region take too, to see where does this move? Does it really go into the direction that has been announced,” she said.
Syria’s current president, Sharaa, the former leader of HTS—once an al-Qaeda affiliate—remains designated as a terrorist by both the US and the EU. However, delegations from both entities have visited Damascus and met with the country’s new leadership since Assad’s overthrow.
Regarding Germany’s position, Hohmann clarified that terrorist designations are determined at the European level, not nationally. “There is no German terrorist list. It's a European list, which also means it takes the EU to take a decision. It's not a national decision.”
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