politicians-from-syria

"We think of a democratic nation or democratic state, they [i.e. the Syrian National Coalition-affiliated Kurdish National Council] are still looking for a nation-state, which is different. We accept pluralism for living together with Arabs and other components [i.e. ethnic groups]. They are calling for a nation-state for the Kurdish people. They cannot accept Arabs and other minorities."

"The [democratic Syrian] federalism we talk about is not a geographical line. Maybe tomorrow it's going to be expanded to Raqqa, and other places. … Maybe even the people of Daraa will join."

"Öcalan resurrected a dead people. The people were dying, about to be finished, but Mr. Öcalan didn't allow that; he pulled the Kurd out of the wolf's mouth."

"We were looking for a movement that would answer our questions and analyze the experiences of the Kurds. While we were [still] young, I learned from the [Kurdistan Workers' Party] cadres that the movement we were looking for had formed."

"There are some who hold up the slogan: the fall of the regime. In contrast we demand the fall of the oppressive authoritarian system. Our problems are not problems of powers. The ruling powers in Damascus come and go. For us Kurds, this isn't so important. What is important is that we Kurds assert our existence. The current regime does not accept us, nor do those who will potentially come into power. Our politics differ from a politics that seeks power."

"Within one half-hour, we can stop all Kurdish forces and they will obey this, but for those groups [i.e. armed factions represented by the Syrian National Coalition] it is not true."

"Until now, PYD members were jailed, captured and many of them killed by torture. If [the Assad government] calls for the Kurds, the Kurds cannot trust them. Actually, they have called us many times to have separate discussions. … The regime and the Salafists are the same. We don't believe that one of them is better than the others."

"Before [Öcalan] left Syria, we came together as a whole and discussed our situation. The formation of the PYD is, in fact, a result of this. Öcalan was trying to develop a strategic relationship between the Syrian regime and the Kurds in Rojava. However, the Syrian regime lacked the understanding and capacity to do so. If they had understood him, the situation in Syria today could be different. If they had listened to his suggestions and ideas, we could have seen a different Syria."

"He was a true patriot of the Syrian lands. He knew how to be fully Kurdish with the Kurds; an indispensable friend with the Arabs; a true brother with the Turks. … He was a cornerstone of Rojava that I always trusted, and he will remain so. I see him as the twin brother of Sırrı Süreyya, whom we lost during the Peace and Democratic Society Process."

"They [i.e. the Syrian transitional government] say they want to enter into dialogue with all components [i.e. ethnic groups] in Syria. That is precisely why we are seeking contact with them. … We already have twelve years of experience living peacefully with all communities, so we can and want to help the transitional government. … We are not separatists. We want to help build the new Syria."

"We are not a small people; 15% of the population are Kurds. As you know, we can protect ourselves even from the regime and extremists. So we have to have a word in the solution. If they ignore the Kurds, they will not find a way to solve the Syrian problem. … Because the coalition [i.e. the Syrian National Coalition] doesn't recognize the Kurds, they cannot represent the Kurds [in the Geneva peace talks], only the coalition."

"We are profiting from the unrest. It is a historical chance for us. We have a right and are making use of it. We do not kill anyone and we also do not fight against anyone. We are preparing our people and ourselves for the period after the fall of the regime."

"We consider anyone who does not publicly take a stand against the Turkish position to be one of Turkey's henchmen."

"Russia has recently been very vocal about the vicious crimes against us, but the US and Europe have not even condemned atrocities against civilian Kurds! Why are they ignoring attacks of these al-Qaeda related jihadists? … Everybody in Syria received international aid, but not us, the Kurds! On the contrary, we are under an embargo from all around."

"We, as the Kurdish Freedom Movement, … reject classical models like federalism, con-federalism, self-government, and autonomy. Our goal is the formation of a new Kurdish society, the formation of a free person, a person with free will and free thought. … The point is to renew society from the bottom up."

"I do not know … why American officials are not willing to meet with us. … We have never had any animosity against America and the American people. Quite the opposite, we see our future in Western democracy, and we are trying to implement it in our own society. … The United States is the cradle of democracy and the American people support freedom for everyone. … There is no doubt that the interests of the American people are not contrary to ours."

"Drawing and dying for borders is a European illness from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries."

"If they [i.e. the US-backed Syrian Islamist opposition] accept to live in a secular country, in which everyone can express themselves, it's OK. We believe religion should be on the ethical side, not more than that. Religion should not be used as a tool for politics, which is not valid for the Muslim Brotherhood because they are looking to establish a caliphate. They should keep religion in the church and the mosque."

"Mr. Abdullah Öcalan firmly believes that political action is the best path forward. We align with this stance because in North and East Syria, we carried weapons only to defend ourselves. If the attacks against us stop, we will lay down our arms—we are not war enthusiasts."

"The agreement [between the DAANES and the Syrian transitional government] is a beginning. The people must remain vigilant."

"What everyone should know is this: it is the Kurds who defend democracy."

"The leadership blocked this new plot through agreements and warnings, particularly about the risk of 'new Gazas' and the need for caution in Rojava."

"In Syria, we spoke with all the communities, the Druze, who fought alongside us, the Christians, the Alawites, and the Kurds."

"This is a surprise to my eyes, my brothers, I hope you listen to us with your hands. Sit far away, my brothers, rise up, enter God Almighty. Yes, I said the prayer of the Prophet, yes, I said the prayer of the Prophet."

"It doesn't matter if I'm under sanctions and on a terrorist list. The important thing is to lift the sanctions on Syria."

"With this spirit … we will not only reach Damascus, but, Allah permitting, Jerusalem will be awaiting our arrival."

"Today, Syria is being cleansed by the grace of Almighty God, by the grace of Almighty God and then by the efforts of the heroic mujahideen."

"This, my brothers, is a victory through the suffering of the people who languished in prisons, and by the grace of Almighty God, the mujahideen have liberated the body of the sect despite the tyrant’s blessings."

"We Syrians, the victims, are being punished for the acts of our executioner, who is no longer with us. We ask for the international community's help in prosecuting the Assad regime's criminals and recovering the money stolen from Syrians."

"Our terrorist listing is the result of a political will. We've carried out military operations, we haven't targeted civilians. Terrorism is about targeting civilians, and we haven't done that."

"If the Levant is liberated, and if the Muslims come together in a well-guided Islamic government, a well-guided Muslim state that enforces the sharia of Allah Almighty, I will be the first soldier of such a government, and I will be under its jurisdiction. Even Dr. Ayman [al-Zawahiri] will be a soldier serving under the command of such a government [that] enforces all the instructions of Islam."

"By God, goodness is abundant and far be it from God, far be it from God to let this tyrant oppress all the people of Syria. There is no house in Syria where the door of justice has not been knocked on, no house in Syria where the door of justice has not been knocked on. And praise be to God, on the day Syria recovers, God willing, this will be a new victory for the entire Islamic nation, this will be a new historic victory for the region."

"There are many strategic relations between Syria and the United States of America."

"No matter how great the challenges, the will of the people is capable of overcoming them."

"Al-Nusra Front doesn't have any plans or directives to target the West. We received clear orders not to use Syria as a launching pad to attack the US or Europe in order to not sabotage the true mission against the regime. Maybe al-Qaeda does that, but not here in Syria."

"How many dangers we have avoided by not abandoning Syria, leaving it as a farm for Iranian expansion, spreading sectarianism in it, and stirring corruption, making it a place of innovation in the world."

"Now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted because they were targeted at the old regime. The victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way."

"First, a federal system in Syria does not have popular acceptance, and I believe it is not in the best interest of Syria in the future because our communities are not used to practicing federacy, so people’s opinions would go to complete independence in the name of federacy."

"In our region, there are various definitions of democracy. If democracy means that the people decide who will rule them and who represents them in the parliament, then yes Syria is going in this direction."

"I believe that the gravest risk is the sanctions that the American administration is still imposing on Syria although all the reasons that led to issuing these sanctions have ended. Any prohibition targeting Syria represents a punishment to Syrian people who have suffered enough at the hands of the previous regime."

"From here, I address you today in my capacity as president of Syria in this fateful period, asking God to grant us all success so we can revive our homeland, and overcome the challenges that we are facing, and that will only be through all standing together in people and leadership. I address you today not as a ruler but as a servant for our wounded homeland, striving with all power and will I have been given to realise Syria’s unity and renaissance, as we should all understand that this is a transitional stage, and it is part of a political process that requires true participation by all Syrian men and women, inside and outside the country, so that we can build their future with freedom and dignity, without marginalisation or sidelining."

"Syria was liberated by the martyrs, male and female detainees, men and women who were tortured, missing men and women, and all their nursing mothers and their oppressed people, because of all their sacrifices and your sacrifices I stand here today, so that together we can open a new chapter in the history of our beloved land."

"Building is harder than war."

"The Syrian context is exceptional, and each country goes through a peculiar situation. Political solutions should be born from the events taking place, so importing political experiences and applying them to the Syrian context, I believe, is not a correct policy. I have read history from all contexts: Arabic, International, and Islamic; and from all places: East, West, North, and South. We tried to benefit from all that has taken place in the world to take lessons from all that happened, especially the past hundred years that included events such as WWI and WWII. In addition, the Arab region has been through a lot of trouble. Hence, the region is rich with lessons, and history is full of lessons. We will benefit from all that, and we will try to have an independent personality in studying matters, in addition to benefiting from other countries’ experiences. All the figures you have mentioned were successful in running their countries, but the Syrian context is different."

"The Sunnis in Syria today are in a phase of loss and are defending their survival and existence. If, God forbid, the Shiite project hostile to the Sunnis in Syria succeeds, it will extend to the Sunnis in the entire region."

"First of all, in the Islamic system women play a role. Whoever says that a conservative Islamic system does not allow a role for women has a misunderstanding of Islam. Of course women are almost half of society, and the majority of the human resources at universities now are women, and the job market is a wide labor market for women. The Syrian women are already working, so if a woman wants to work then the labor market is open to her."

"Egypt and the Levant are two wings of one bird."

"Syria expresses its deep solidarity with the peoples suffering from climate disasters."

"Syria has managed to create a significant degree of consensus between countries that would find it difficult to agree on anything at this time."

"Oh people of Free Syria, building the homeland is the responsibility of all of us, and this is a call to all Syrians to participate in building a new homeland, in which there is rule through justice and consultation. Together, we will build the future Syria: the Syria that is the beacon of knowledge and progress, the refuge of security and stability, the Syria of comfort, progress and prosperity, the Syria that extends its hand with peace and respect, so that its people can return to a dignified noble homeland, which is prosperous, safe and secure by God’s permission."