ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - European governments are rushing to portray Syria as stable to justify sending migrants back, even as Kurds in the country’s northeast face renewed pressure and insecurity, a senior Dutch politician warned, cautioning that Kurdish rights and self-rule risk being sacrificed.
Kati Piri, leader of the Dutch Social Democrats and vice president of the Party of European Socialists, told Rudaw Western capitals are increasingly focused on stability over minority rights, raising fears that Kurds in Rojava could once again be sidelined.
“So it's being forgotten who our true allies are in that region,” Piri said, referring to the Kurdish-led forces that fought the Islamic State (ISIS) alongside the US-led coalition.
Piri said she welcomed the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but voiced deep concern over the conduct of Syria’s interim authorities under President Ahmad al-Sharaa, particularly toward minorities.
“We saw what they did to the Druze in Suwayda. We saw what they did to the Alawites in the coastal areas. And these past few weeks, we saw what they did to the Kurds, starting with Aleppo and later … in Kobane,” she said.
Her remarks come as Kurdish-led authorities in northeast Syria face mounting pressure to integrate into the interim government in Damascus, amid recent fighting, sieges, and displacement linked to Syrian government offensives and allied factions.
Piri said Kurds had established a form of self-administration in northeast Syria since 2012 and played a key role in defeating ISIS, but she fears they are now being abandoned.
“What I see and fear today is betrayal of the Kurds,” she said, arguing that Western governments, particularly the US, are primarily focused on ensuring a stable Syria, even if that means ignoring minority protections.
She said Europe is also driven by domestic political pressures linked to migration. “One of the interests European governments have is to send Syrian migrants back to Syria as soon as possible,” Piri said, adding that this creates an incentive to downplay ongoing insecurity. “But I think Kurds shouldn't pay the price for this.”
Addressing concerns that recent US moves, including the transfer of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq, signal a withdrawal of support for Kurdish autonomy, Piri said the issue reflects deeper mistrust of Damascus.
“It’s not coincidental that America is now transferring ISIS prisoners to Iraq,” she said, adding that there is doubt those detainees would remain imprisoned under the current authorities in Damascus.
Piri said she shares Kurdish fears about their future under Syria’s interim government. “Let me say I have the same concern they do,” she said, stressing that any political settlement must include a ceasefire and guarantees for Kurdish rights and self-administration.
On security, Piri said the potential release or escape of ISIS detainees poses a real risk to Europe. She noted that thousands of Kurds were killed fighting ISIS. “They didn’t do it just for themselves, but protected us, too,” she said, warning that instability in Syria could have direct consequences for European security.
The following is the full transcript of the interview with Kati Piri:
Rudaw: In Syria, a government has come to power that says it has turned a new page and that the country will be inclusive. Kurds are being pushed by their allies to adapt themselves to the new authorities in Damascus. Is the current situation such that Kurds should be told to adapt themselves to the interim authorities in Damascus?
Kati Piri: I am very concerned about the situation there. I think we are all happy that Bashar al-Assad is gone. This was good news. But we are very concerned about the behavior of the new authorities in Damascus. We saw what they did to the Druze in Suwayda. We saw what they did to the Alawites in the coastal areas. And these past few weeks, we saw what they did to the Kurds, starting with Aleppo and later, for example, what happened these past few days in Kobane. So our concern and worry is about how democratic this transitional government in Syria is? Also, how do they treat minorities in Syria? What we have seen is that Kurds have established a kind of autonomy and self-administration in the west since 2012. They were also allies of Western countries. They fought against jihadists and ISIS. But what I see and fear today is betrayal of the Kurds. Because Western countries, especially America, only care about having a stable Syria. So they act as if other components in that country don't exist. Europe is also using this to be able to deport Syrian migrants. So it's being forgotten who our true allies are in that region.
Has Kurdish autonomy and Western countries' alliance with Kurds in Syria become unnecessary?
I think the message was disgraceful. I'm also happy that critical voices are heard in America, both in the Senate and in Congress. There are many politicians who know very well what a major role Kurds played in confronting extremism. Fortunately, not everyone has forgotten this. This gives me hope. Let's also be honest, it's not coincidental that America is now transferring ISIS prisoners to Iraq. Because they have no confidence that under the supervision of the current government in Damascus, those ISIS prisoners won't be released. This is also evidence that there is doubt within the American administration about trusting the Damascus authorities and being certain they won't help jihadists.
There is doubt, and ISIS prisoners are being transferred, but Kurds see this as an indication that the transfer is to end their autonomy and leave them no excuse to protect them.
This would be strange, but some such indications are seen from America, too. I think many people in Western countries don't understand something very well, and that is the great feeling [of unity] shared among Kurds. Not only among Kurds in the west, but you see very large demonstrations in Erbil about what's happening in Syria. Look at southern Turkey and see how sympathetic they are to Syrian Kurds. Kurds' rights have been suppressed in many countries. So that autonomy they established for themselves in Syria over those years should remain as self-administration under Syria's central authority and with the rights they have as any Syrian citizen, which Kurds lack.