The Kurdish National Council in Syria (ENKS), on the 15th anniversary of its founding, issued a statement in which, while insisting on a federal system, recognition of the rights of the Kurdish people and the official status of the Kurdish language, it called for the annulment of all discriminatory laws, the return of displaced people to Afrin, Sere Kaniye and Gire Spi, and the convening of the council’s fifth congress. It highly valued the national role of President Barzani and his continued efforts to support the Kurdish cause and strengthen unity and a common stance.
The text of the statement:
Statement of the Kurdish National Council in Syria on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of its founding
The fifteenth anniversary of the founding of the Kurdish National Council in Syria is being commemorated. It was announced in 26 October of 2011, as a response to a current national and patriotic necessity imposed by decades of marginalization, oppression and denial of the national rights of the Kurdish people.
This founding came within the framework of the Syrian revolution, as an extension and completion of the struggle of the Kurdish national movement since the establishment of the Syrian state, particularly after the founding of the first Kurdish party in June 1957.
The Kurds, alongside Syria’s other components, have struggled for freedom, dignity and the building of a state. However, successive governments—particularly the oppressive rule led by the Baath Party—confronted their demands with repression and deprivation of their national rights, insisting on imposing further discriminatory policies and racist projects. Chief among these were the “Arab Belt” projects, deprivation of citizenship, Arabization policies, and security measures violating property rights, which reached their peak amid the shedding of civilian blood during the March uprising of 2004. With the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, several Kurdish political forces and social activists, young people and women united within the framework of the council, adopting peaceful democratic struggle and a political solution as a means to end oppression and build a free, democratic and decentralized Syria that guarantees the rights of all its people.
Following the collapse of the former regime in 8 December 2024, and the country’s entry into a transitional phase under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Council is addressing current developments with a sense of responsibility and openness to political solutions, in order to resolve various outstanding issues, based on its political program and the outcomes of its meetings.
The Council stresses that the success of the transitional phase and the establishment of a stable state require genuine national partnership that guarantees the participation of the Kurdish people as a key partner in shaping the country’s future and making decisions.
This also requires activating state institutions and restoring their service and development roles, while ensuring fair participation in various representative institutions through laws that take pluralism and equal opportunities into account, in a manner that strengthens national cohesion and lays the foundations for an organized political life based on pluralism, accountability and the rule of law.
Within this framework, the Council views with appreciation Decree No. (13) issued by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as a step that can be built upon to resolve the Kurdish issue and the effects of accumulated discriminatory policies.
It also stresses that translating positive positions into tangible reality requires abolishing exceptional and discriminatory measures and decrees, addressing the effects of the Arab Belt, Arabization policies and the decisions of the accreditation committees, as well as adopting a clear path for transitional justice and accountability that guarantees compensation and restoration of rights to those harmed.
At the same time, it stresses the need to create a calm environment for the return of displaced persons and refugees to their areas of origin, foremost among them Afrin, Serekaniye (Ras al-Ayn) and Girê Spî (Tal Abyad), while protecting their rights and properties, based on relevant international resolutions, foremost among them United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2254.
On the basis that addressing oppression and consolidating stability require clear constitutional guarantees, the Council reiterates its insistence on drafting a new constitution that lays the foundations for a democratic and pluralistic Syrian republic with a federal system that guarantees participation in governing the country, protects ethnic and cultural diversity, and enshrines equal citizenship, justice and the independence of the judiciary.
It also stresses the need for the constitution to recognize the national existence of the Kurdish people and their legitimate rights, alongside adopting the Kurdish language as an official language in Kurdish regions alongside Arabic, and reviewing administrative divisions in a manner that takes into account the national and geographic specificities of these areas and guarantees their administration fairly and effectively within the framework of the country’s unity.
At the same time, the Council emphasizes the need to protect the rights of all components, foremost among them the Yazidi component, by recognizing its religious and cultural particularity and building a secular civil state that is impartial toward religions and beliefs, embodies an inclusive national identity that respects diversity, and guarantees freedom and dignity for all citizens.
Alongside these national duties, the Council recognizes the importance of its Fifth Congress, which is scheduled to convene in the coming period. It should become a decisive station for renewing its role and adapting to rapid changes, developing its organizational and political structure, updating its working mechanisms and internal regulations, and adopting a more effective strategic vision that creates opportunities for young people’s capabilities and strengthens women’s participation in decision-making.
It also emphasizes that preserving social peace requires confronting hate speech, incitement and their criminalization, confronting terrorism and violence in all their forms, improving citizens’ living conditions, and establishing transparency and the independence of the judiciary in a manner that strengthens citizens’ confidence in institutions and lays the groundwork for establishing a state that respects the law, guarantees freedom of political activity, and completely breaks with the remnants of the former regime.
At the national and Kurdish levels, the Council reaffirms its commitment to strengthening its fraternal and struggle-based relations with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq—the presidency, government and people—and highly values the national role of President Masoud Barzani and his continued efforts to support the Kurdish cause and strengthen unity and a common position. It also reaffirms its insistence on the outcomes of the Kurdish Unity and Solidarity Conference held in Qamishli in 2025, and on previous political agreements and understandings as a fundamental pillar for dialogue and unifying the Kurdish vision.
The Council also emphasizes the importance of continuing coordination among Kurdish forces and supporting the struggle of the Kurdish people in all parts of Kurdistan and in the diaspora, while respecting the particularity of each part and working to preserve national gains in a manner that strengthens the resilience of the Kurdish people and safeguards their legitimate demands.
Finally, the Council emphasizes continuing its peaceful and democratic political struggle for a decentralized, democratic and pluralistic Syria founded on national partnership, equal citizenship and the rule of law, in which the Kurdish people are an authentic partner in building the state and drafting its constitution, and in which the rights of all its national, cultural and religious components are protected.
Glory to the martyrs of freedom, and dignity to the Kurdish people and our Syria.
The General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council in Syria
Qamishlo – 26 of 2026
