President Nechirvan Barzani praised for diplomatic prowess

Al-Monitor is considered by many to be the Middle East’s leading independent news source. According to a tweet posted on X by their chief correspondent, Amberin Zaman, “The constructive role that @IKRPresident has played in helping bring the sides together cannot be overstated. Nechirvan Barzani is a highly skilled diplomat.”

This message was in reference to and drew on a recent meeting between the United States Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas J. Barrack and the General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi. The Special Envoy was in Syria to discuss the recent violence that has been taking place in Suweida. His meeting was of particular importance because he was meeting the leader of the Kurdish-led forces in the northeast of the country.

The United States Embassy in Damascus released a statement Saturday on the matter, noting that they had met to discuss “the current situation in Syria and the need for urgent steps to restore calm and stability … practical steps towards integration into a unified Syria for a peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and stable future for all Syrians. They agreed the time for unity is now."

The Kurdish people, together with the Druze inhabitants of Syria, have been reluctant to cede control of their respective regions to Damascus following power changing hands in December. Minorities within the country worry for good reason about the threat of Sunni sectarianism among those leading the new government, as well as if they are truly committed to an inclusive role for all ethnicities and religious groups in Syria. Bedouins as well as pro-government groups have been engaging in clashes and fighting against the Druze people of Suweida, as just the latest outbreak of conflict within post-Assad Syria. Israel, for its part, conducted airstrikes on Damascus in retaliation for the attacks on the Druze.

According to Al-Monitor, violence in the region of Suweida has boosted the leverage that the Kurds can exert in the [hoped-for] path to peace within Syria. While this may be true, it is also to be noted that the various Kurdish groups spread across the various different countries in which they live (Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey to name but four) are not united, which is to be understood given the different governments and situations in which they find themselves living. Having said this, President Nechirvan Barzani has been increasingly recognised and come to be relied on for his wisdom in his active pursuit of dialogue over conflict; discussion, consensus and mutual understanding in his mind being of infinitely greater merit than mindless disaccord and what might even be termed senseless violence.

President Nechirvan Barzani is thus on record in respect of the situation of the Kurdish people in Syria as having said, “Praise and appreciation to Mr. Mazloum Abdi, ENKS [Kurdish National Council], and all the brothers and sisters who worked on conducting the Kurdish Unity and Solidarity Conference in Syria. I congratulate everyone on the success of the conference, which is a source of great joy and has pleased the Kurdish people everywhere,” a statement from the Presidency said. This followed the first pan-Kurdish conference that took place in northeast Syria at the end of April, which saw over 400 Kurdish people from Iraq, Turkey and Syria itself meet to discuss the Kurdish future within the new Syrian state.

President Nechirvan Barzani further added, “I hope it will lead to strengthening Kurdish unity and solidarity, which is the only way to secure Kurdish rights in Syria.” This last point is very important, and illustrates the fact that he values collaborative efforts, unity and reciprocal cooperation very much. It is through such an approach to matters that we can all hopefully live in peace and in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance, and just one reason why he was praised by the reputable and independent news outlet of Al-Monitor yesterday.