ERBIL, Kurdistan Region Iraq – Representatives from northeast Syria’s different communities on Friday held a “unity conference” in Hasaka, calling for a “democratic” and “decentralized” Syria.

Representatives from Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Assyrians, Turkmens, Armenians, Circassians, and other communities in northeast Syria expressed their commitment to an inclusive Syria, that is built on a “democratic national path based on diversity, partnership, and equal citizenship,” according to a copy of the conference’s closing statement posted by the Kurdish-run Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES). 

The participants underlined the “marginalization and exclusion” that their people’s were subjected to by former central regimes, particularly under ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, noting that the diversity in northeast Syria is a source of “wealth and strength.” 

“We believe that the sustainable solution lies through a democratic constitution that enshrines and enhances ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity and establishes a decentralized state that guarantees the genuine participation of all components in the political and administrative process,” the statement read, hailing the model of the current administration in northeast Syria as “a living example of democratic community governance.”

AANES has been in charge of northeast Syria’s internal affairs since 2018, with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) acting as its de facto army.

The representatives stressed “the importance of reconsidering current administrative divisions in a way that aligns with Syria's demographic and developmental reality and reflects the geographical, historical, and cultural specificities of local communities.”

The participants in the conference said that the Constitutional Declaration announced by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in March 2025 “does not meet the aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom and human dignity.” 

Sharaa signed the country’s draft Constitutional Declaration on March 13, three months after toppling the Assad regime. The document was drafted based on the Syrian National Dialogue Conference held in late February, which was slammed by Kurdish authorities for their “token representation.”

Shortly after the declaration, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the SDF’s political wing, announced its “complete rejection” of the document, describing it as “tyranny in a new form.”

Sharaa on Thursday met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the pair were set to discuss Turkey’s “security concerns” in northeast Syria, and the Damascus government’s fight against “terrorism”. 

Turkey considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF, to be inextricably linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and thereby sees the SDF as an extension of their now-disbanded domestic foe.

The conference also addressed the March agreement signed between SDF chief Mazloum Abdi and Sharaa, and the outcomes of the Kurdish Unity Conference, emphasizing "commitment to them as constructive steps toward a comprehensive national consensus that restores Syrians' confidence in their homeland and shared future.”

The integration of armed forces and institutions of north and east Syria into the Syrian state “cannot be imposed by force,” said Abdi in an interview with the SDF-affiliated Hawar News Agency (ANHA) on Monday, expressing their willingness to take “practical steps” toward an understanding with Damascus.

Abdi and other representatives of the AANES were set to meet with Syrian government officials in Paris in late July; however, the meeting was abruptly canceled without a reason being given. No official dates have yet been announced for future talks.