Qamishli Conference: 400+ Kurdish leaders convene on Syrian unity

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Kurdish Unity Conference opened in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli, bringing together more than 400 political and independent figures from Kurdish parties across Syria, Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, and Turkiye, alongside religious leaders and independent personalities.

Delegates arrived early at the Qamishlo Hall in Azadi Park, where the conference commenced with a speech by General Mazloum Abdi, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Abdi emphasized that Kurdish unity does not threaten Syria’s territorial integrity but rather strengthens it, underscoring the Kurdish people's longstanding struggle for a united Syria.

"The strength of the Kurds is the strength of Syria," Abdi said, stressing that Syria's future constitution should be decentralized and guarantee the rights of all its communities, including Kurds.

Following Abdi’s remarks, Hameed Darbandi, head of the Syrian dossier at Iraq’s Kurdistan Region Presidency, read a letter from Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani. In his message, Barzani thanked Abdi for his role in facilitating the conference, expressing full support for any effort aimed at bridging Kurdish political divides in Syria.

Barzani reaffirmed that Syrian Kurds have long suffered from oppression and denial and called for a new Syria that secures rights for all its components. He described the formation of a unified Kurdish delegation as a vital step toward safeguarding Kurdish entitlements and urged stronger ties with other Syrian communities to promote national unity.

Additional speeches were delivered by representatives of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), all highlighting the critical need for Kurdish solidarity amid escalating regional and international challenges.

The conference is led by a presidium composed of Mohammad Ismail, head of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS); Ilham Ahmed, head of external relations for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES); and Berwin Youssef, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD).

At noon, the conference was closed to media coverage as participants entered closed-door sessions to discuss a draft political vision, which is expected to be ratified by the end of the meeting.