Lavrov's messages to the Syrian Kurds
January 22, 2022, 3:53 pm

Zara saleh

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov again has highlighted the importance of the Syrian Kurds to support and maintain Syria's sovereignty and they are the key factor of stabilisation in the region, and they should be represented in the Syrian constitutional committee. Comparing to the Kurdistan Regional Government and federal experience, Lavrov said "the Syrian Kurds should take into consideration the experience of Iraqi Kurds". However, Russian Foreign Minister has warned the Kurds at the same time regarding their relations with the US that they "will not determine the fate of Syria". In other words, he clearly is calling the Syrian Kurds to return back to the Syrian regime by cutting their relations with the US. However, Russia consequently would play mediation role for peace talks between the two parties.

Despite the diplomatic speech of the Russian Foreign Minister, Lavrov had mentioned the Iraqi Kurds experience of federalism that could be passed to the Syrian Kurds as well, he forgets that he had always accused the US of seeking to split Syria and establishing a Kurdish state in north Syria. Furthermore, Lavrov in some his previous interviews had explained that the US is planning to establish a new state in north Syria and “it will be another round of the most dangerous game with Iraqi Kurdistan, the idea of the so-called unified Kurdistan." In contrast, Russia has been failed to play the guarantor role between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian regime to hold a serious negotiation until now as Moscow always has played the regime's spokesman role, seeking to take control over all Syrian territories without any guarantee of the Kurdish rights. Added to that, Lavrov is already aware about the SDF demands during previous talks with the Syrian regime. The Kurdish self-administration should be recognised by Assad's regime in the new Syrian constitution.

On the other hand, the Kurdish self-administration or the Democratic Union Party (PYD) administrator has never mentioned any federal region or state that is based on national and ethnic basis. For example, the PYD spokesman Sama Bakdash had answered to Lavrov's speech, has rejected the comparison between the two examples of the Kurdish experience in Syria and Iraq and she said, " we have a different view about the political solution in Syria". Whereas the PYD and the self-administration is seeking democratic and ecologic federalism in the context of the decentralisation state in Syria which is completely different from the Kurdish federal region in Iraq.

Besides that, the Russian representative for Syria Lavrentyev has recently confirmed that no change will be done regarding the current Syrian constitution that was written in 2012 and he added, "it is a red line for us". Consequently, the Russian Foreign Minister, Lavrov, is continuing the plan of blackmailing Kurds by using the Turkish threats and the carrot and stick policy. Such Russian policy towards Syrian Kurds is aiming to convince them to accept the talks with Assad’s regime without any promises to guarantee the recognition with the self-administration and the secure of the Kurdish rights in the expected Syria’s constitution, as Lavrov is always warning that the US will withdraw its troops from north-eastern Syria that controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

BY: Zara Saleh

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”