ERBIL — The Kurdish National Council in Syria (ENKS) has called for unity among Kurds in Rojava and urged the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to withdraw, emphasizing that this step is crucial to protecting Kurdish interests and ensuring stability in the region.

In an exclusive interview with BasNews, Suleyman Ösö, head of ENKS, emphasized the need for Kurdish unity in Rojava while highlighting persistent tensions with the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the PKK’s presence in the region. Ösö described the PKK’s influence as a significant threat to Kurdish safety and a major obstacle to achieving unity.

[Below is the interview which was translated from Kurdish and edited for clarity and length.].

BasNews: It is said that you have not yet officially responded to SDF General Commander Mazlum Abdi's request for an understanding and agreement. Why is that?

Suleyman Ösö: The ENKS was established in 2011, at the start of the Syrian revolution, to promote the unity of the Kurdish people in Syrian Kurdistan. We refused to align with the Syrian regime because a dictator cannot serve his people, especially the Kurds. When Kurdish areas came under threat, the Syrian regime handed them over to the PYD.

As a council, we have consistently advocated for unity, urging the PYD to join us in negotiations. Unfortunately, their actions, including burning down our bases, arresting our members, and suppressing our activities, have severely undermined this goal. Even after a US-brokered agreement in 2020, PKK-affiliated forces escalated their aggression against us.

BasNews: Would it not be possible for both sides to compromise on some of your demands for the sake of Kurdish unity?

Suleyman Ösö: Peace and dialogue require mutual respect and a conducive environment, which the PKK continues to sabotage. Their youth groups burn our headquarters and attack our cadres. Many of our members have been martyred for raising the Syrian revolution’s flag in SDF-controlled areas.

Our priority is to protect the Kurdish people, especially in areas like Kobani, where PKK’s presence provides justification for external attacks. Removing this excuse is critical. We remain committed to unity, but it cannot be achieved while the PKK undermines stability in the region.

BasNews: Why are the PYD and SDF now asking you to negotiate and reach an agreement? Why didn’t they make this request a year ago?

Suleyman Ösö: We must question why they suddenly claim to want unity now. For years, their rhetoric has branded us as traitors and mercenaries. If they truly seek unity, they must first separate themselves from the PKK and abandon divisive language. Only then can we create a foundation for cooperation and protect our people from the dangers they face today.

Ösö concluded by stressing that ENKS does not seek division but advocates for peace, unity, and the removal of all threats to Kurdish communities in Rojava.