Kurdish National Council in Syria Issues Statement on Meeting Held at PYD Headquarters

ARK News.. The General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council (KNC) in Syria has issued a statement regarding the meeting held at the headquarters of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Qamishli on June 28, affirming that the Council has always been and continues to be an original founding component of the Kurdish national movement and that it has repeatedly called on the PYD to return to the Kurdish national umbrella from which it has distanced itself.

The full text of the statement follows:

The General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council in Syria has followed reports circulated by certain media outlets and social media platforms regarding the meeting held at the headquarters of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in the city of Qamishli on June 28.

During the meeting, Ms. Parwin Youssef, Co-Chair of the Democratic Union Party, made a number of contradictory statements. She stated that the mission of the joint Kurdish delegation is to negotiate with the authorities in Damascus regarding the rights of the Kurdish people and claimed that Damascus had not responded to the delegation's request. She also accused the Kurdish National Council of obstructing the delegation's work, asserted that its activities had come to a halt, called on the Council to "return to the Kurdish line," and proposed holding a new Kurdish conference.

Based on our national responsibility, we wish to clarify the following:

First: Invitations to meetings concerning the joint Kurdish delegation must be issued with the full consensus of all its members and not unilaterally without the knowledge or approval of all delegation members, contrary to the agreed mechanisms for decision-making within the delegation and the spirit of partnership upon which it was established.

Second: Since the formation of the joint delegation, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have acted unilaterally under the title of the "technical delegation," despite our repeated calls on Mr. Mazloum Abdi to activate the joint Kurdish delegation. However, these calls yielded no results, and actions continued in violation of the understandings reached with the Kurdish National Council and the decisions of the Conference on Kurdish Unity of Position and Ranks. This prevented the joint Kurdish delegation from carrying out its primary mission of negotiating with Damascus regarding the legitimate national rights of the Kurdish people.

The unilateral approach to political and military decision-making has also caused serious harm to the Kurdish cause in Syria.

Third: Throughout the past years, the Democratic Union Party has pursued a policy of procrastination and avoidance of reaching genuine understandings regarding partnership in the administration of the Kurdish regions. It has undermined all agreements reached with the Kurdish National Council and frustrated U.S. efforts aimed at implementing the 2020 Qamishlo Agreement. Most recently, it obstructed the implementation of the outcomes of the Conference on Kurdish Unity of Position and Ranks, held in Qamishli on April 26, 2025.

Rather than directing accusations, the party's leadership should have conducted a serious self-critical review of its previous policies and apologized to the Kurdish people and the families of the martyrs for the damage inflicted upon the Kurdish cause as a result of those policies.

Fourth: Regarding Ms. Parwin Youssef's call for the Kurdish National Council to "return to the Kurdish ranks," the obvious question is: Which ranks does the Council currently belong to?

The Council affirms that it has always been, and remains, an original founding component of the Kurdish national movement. It has repeatedly called on the Democratic Union Party to return to the Kurdish national umbrella from which it has drifted by adopting ideological projects and slogans that transcend the Kurdish cause, such as "Brotherhood of Peoples," the "Democratic Nation," and "Democratic Islam." Practical experience has demonstrated that these slogans are incapable of fulfilling the aspirations of the Kurdish people or safeguarding their national rights.

Fifth: As for the call to convene a new Kurdish conference, the Kurdish National Council considers it an attempt to circumvent the outcomes of the Conference on Kurdish Unity of Position and Ranks held in Qamishli on April 26, 2025, which achieved broad Kurdish political and societal consensus with the participation of Kurdish personalities and parties from Kurdistan, as well as significant international attendance.

The Council reaffirms its commitment to the outcomes of that conference and to working toward their implementation, considering them the framework agreed upon by the Kurdish people.

Sixth: Regarding the work of the joint Kurdish delegation, the Council confirms that the delegation has held dozens of joint meetings in a positive and responsible spirit. It has also conducted numerous meetings with international delegations visiting the region and sent an official letter to President Ahmad al-Sharaa requesting a formal meeting with the delegation, to which no response has yet been received.

The delegation has also initiated contacts with several European countries to obtain entry visas in order to undertake political and diplomatic tours serving its national mission.

The General Secretariat further confirms that during its meetings with both the President of the Republic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the leadership of the Kurdish National Council requested arrangements for an official meeting between the joint Kurdish delegation and the Syrian leadership, reaffirming the Council's commitment to ensuring the success of the delegation's mission and advancing political dialogue.

The Kurdish National Council in Syria stresses that achieving the legitimate national rights of the Kurdish people requires adherence to national agreements, respect for genuine partnership, and rejection of unilateral policies that experience has proven unsuccessful and contrary to the supreme interests of the Kurdish people.

Qamishlo, June 29, 2026

General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council in Syria

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