Kurdistan Parliament MPs vote in 12 recommendations on the situation in Rojava, Western Kurdistan

The Kurdistan Parliament on 15 October held a sitting to call for an immediate halt to the military attacks on Rojava, Western Kurdistan. The head of each parliamentary block asked that the military attacks stop immediately and all were deeply concerned for civilians, the humanitarian situation, the threat to security and stability, and the revival of ISIS and other terrorist groups. Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq read the 12 recommendations agreed by the parliamentary blocks, which were passed by an overwhelming majority of MPs, 96 out of 97 present. 

Speaker Dr. Rewas Faiq chaired the Parliament’s fourth sitting of the autumn session of the first year of the fifth term. The sitting was attended by Deputy Speaker Hemin Hawrami and Secretary Muna Kahveci.

Each political party in the Kurdistan Parliament gave their views and observations on the current situation and events in Rojava (Western Kurdistan). They stated that the current situation in Rojava will not serve peaceful coexistence between the ethnic and religious communities of Syria, and will change the demography of the region. It will also result displace hundreds of thousands of civilians and the reemergence of terrorist groups.

The head of the parliamentary blocks said that the international community, especially the US and Russia, should immediately do their utmost to stop the war and protect civilians and public institutions. They also demanded that in drafting a new Syrian Constitution rights of the Kurds and other communities should be protected.

The heads of the different parties also demanded that the Kurdistan Regional Government prepare to receive the refugees and that the the Iraqi government allocate a specific budget for the KRG to assist them. They also demanded that Parliament use its diplomatic channels to stop the war and promote peace in the area.

The heads of the blocs in the Kurdistan Parliament said that the current military operations against Rojava will bolster terrorist groups around the world and in the region.

Speaker Faiq stated that based on the Parliament Presidency’s meeting with the different parliamentary blocks about the operations against Rojava, the Presidency proposed 12 recommendations to set out the Kurdistan Parliament’s position. Of 97 present MPs, 96 voted in favour of the 12 recommendations (with 14 MPs not present), as follows:   

1. The Kurdistan Parliament stands against war, and calls for an end to hostilities, military operations and conflicts as soon as possible. Instead, we support the option of a peaceful solution in order to end the disputes through dialogue.
2. As well as strongly condemning attacks, hostilities and the targeting of and attacks on civilians, we call for the protection of civilians’ lives and properties and civilian facilities.
3. To maintain international peace and security based on international agreements, Kurdistan Parliament calls on the international community, the United Nations, the European Union and regional and international organizations to intensify their efforts and exert more political and diplomatic pressure to end the fighting and hostilities that are taking place in Western Kurdistan, ‘Rojava’.
4. We recommend that the Kurdistan Region Government, within the limits of its capabilities, and in cooperation and coordination with international organizations, be fully prepared to receive, shelter and provide relief to refugees coming to Kurdistan Region as a result of the current battles and conflicts in various regions of Western Kurdistan ‘Rojava’.
5. We call on the President of Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistan Region Presidency, as well as intensifying its diplomatic efforts and coordination with the Iraqi Federal Government, to do more to unify the positions of all political parties in Kurdistan Region towards supporting the peaceful option.
6. We call on the Iraqi Federal Government to help the Kurdistan Region Government institutions by allocating a portion from the emergency budget to help and shelter the displaced persons, because the help and relief for the newly displaced and the management of assistance to the existing displaced persons and refugees in Kurdistan Region’s camps are placing a significant financial burden on the Kurdistan Region, and are greater than its financial means.
7. We call on all the state consulates and diplomatic missions in Kurdistan Region to inform their governments about the current situation in Western Kurdistan ‘Rojava’, the details of the events taking place there, and their internal, regional and global repercussions; and to endeavor to exert more diplomatic pressure to stop the fighting, military conflict, and the harm to civilians and their displacement, and to encourage all the conflicting parties towards dialogue and peaceful resolution. At the same time, we call on them to help the institutions of Kurdistan Region Government for the relief to displaced persons and refugees.
8. Kurdistan Parliament announces a national campaign to collect donations, aid and relief for refugees and affected people in Western Kurdistan ‘Rojava’. And as a national and humanitarian duty and as our Kurdish tradition, we call on the people of Kurdistan who love humanity to provide relief to displaced persons and refugees as much as they can, through internal and international organizations and the institutions of the Kurdistan Region Government. The members of Kurdistan Parliament will participate in this national campaign.
9. Kurdistan Parliament is deeply concerned that the course of events and the actions of extremist armed groups will lead to a repetition in other areas of Western Kurdistan of the tragic situation, human rights violations, acts against humanity, seizing of citizens' property and demographic change that took place in Afrin, ‘Rojava’. Therefore all efforts must focus on preventing these armed groups from repeating what happened in Afrin in the areas of Sare Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), Tal Abyad (Gre Spi) and Kobani (Ain al-Arab).
10. Within the framework of diplomatic efforts to resolve the general situation in Syria in accordance with the Geneva, Astana and United Nations resolutions on Syria, the Kurdish people and all other people of Syria have the natural, legal and democratic right to affirm their national rights, citizenship, equality and justice in the rights and responsibilities in the new constitution of Syria and the form of government inside Syria, in any agreement regarding Syria’s status after the war.
11. Kurdistan Parliament calls on all Kurdish forces in Western Kurdistan ‘Rojava’ to renounce partisan and narrow ideological conflicts and enter a new phase of joint action and frontal struggle based on the highest interests of the people of Kurdistan in Western Kurdistan ‘Rojava’ and on the foundations of peace, democracy, dialogue, coexistence and standing against terrorism, and to advance the struggle of the people of Kurdistan in Western Kurdistan and open a new chapter.
12. Kurdistan Parliament draws the attention of the international community to the fact that the recent events in Western Kurdistan ‘Rojava’, the withdrawal of international coalition forces, the war operations and instability in some areas of Western Kurdistan ‘Rojava’, lead to the loss of all the gains of the war against terrorism and the shattering of the myth of ISIS, and thus pave the way for the rise of ISIS and other terrorist groups, which will jeopardize regional and international peace, security and stability.