Rojava parties to hold intra-Kurdish conference Saturday
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish ruling and opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) will hold the highly anticipated intra-Kurdish conference on Saturday, top Kurdish leader announced on Tuesday.
'We are pleased to announce to our people that the conference "Unity of Kurdish Position in Rojava" will be held on April 26. Kurdish unity is a national necessity for resolving the Kurdish people's cause in Syria,' Mazloum Abdi, chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said on X.
'We hope that all parties will fulfill their national responsibility. On this occasion, we thank all parties who have helped in taking this step and wish success for the conference's efforts,' he added.
Representatives from the main opposition umbrella groups, the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC), and the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) as well as other Kurdish groups will take part in the conference.
The event was initially scheduled for late last month or early April but was postponed for unknown reasons.
The ENKS said in a statement on Tuesday that it hopes the conference will mark a "turning point toward a new phase of constructive cooperation" between Kurdish parties in Rojava and "enhance trust with the popular base."
Rojava's political landscape shifted significantly following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December, prompting rival Kurdish coalitions in Rojava to accelerate unity talks. In January, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani hosted a landmark meeting in Erbil with Abdi Abdi to advance the dialogue.
The PYD has since engaged in negotiations with the ENKS. Talks have been facilitated by members of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), particularly the United States and France.
In its Tuesday statement, the ENKS thanked Barzani and Abdi for their efforts to unify Kurdish position in Rojava.
In 2015, PYD and ENKS signed a historic agreement mediated by Barzani in the Kurdistan Region's Duhok province to reduce tensions and establish a power-sharing arrangement in Rojava. However, the deal was never implemented, with both sides accusing each other of undermining the process and trading harsh rhetoric, including allegations of betrayal.
Updated at 11:17 am with ENKS statement.
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