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Syrian Kurdish delegation meets French president

Syrian Kurdish delegation meets French president amid UN recognition push
MENA
2 min read
20 July, 2021
The meeting took place on the ninth anniversary of the revolution in northeast Syria when Kurdish forces rose up against Bashar Al-Assad's regime.
The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria is seeking recognition from the UN [Getty]

A delegation from the Kurdish-led administration of northeast Syria met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, amid a push by the movement for recognition by the United Nations.

The two sides discussed "how to ensure a peaceful, democratic and equitable solution" to the Syrian crisis, according to a statement from the administration. 

One delegate told local media that the meeting was at the invitation of France. 

The meeting took place on the ninth anniversary of a takeover of northeast Syria by Kurdish-led forces, following the withdrawal of the regime from these areas in 2011. This followed a revolt against the regime in other parts of Syria in March 2011.

The anniversary has galvanised action on social media, with the hashtag #Status4NorthandEastSyria used in more than 130,000 tweets.

The administration also released a statement marking the anniversary, appealing to the UN to recognise its authority.

"In order to realise the dreams of the Syrian people indiscriminately and initiate a peaceful change, this revolution relies on the development of a decentralised system, which it has presented as an alternative," the statement read.

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In May, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended to the US government that it recognise the Kurdish-led administration as a political entity, in order to protect religious freedom in the area.

Kurdish-led authorities have enjoyed somewhat strong relations with France, with French parliamentary and humanitarian delegations visiting northeast Syria to express solidarity and condemned Turkey's military interventions in Kurdish-controlled parts of Syria.

French reluctance to repatriate IS-linked citizens from camps and prisons in northeast Syria has tested ties.