The Department of Political Parties and Movements within the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) convened a meeting with the Syrian Turkoman Council on Monday. The agenda centered around the latest developments in the political landscape and strategies for strengthening the relationship between Syrian political parties and movements.
The meeting saw the participation of Abdullah Kaddo, the coordinator of the Department, along with members Abdul Majeed Barakat, Farouk Tayfur, Muhammad Ali Issa, and Yahya Maktabi. Representing the Syrian Turkoman Council were Muhammad Selo, Abdul Nasser Hesso, Ali Topalca, Ali Mulham, Naziha Akdeniz, and Faisal Juma.
Kaddo emphasized the significance of collective action and communication with all Syrian national political forces and blocs. The objective was to rally support for the Syrian revolution and opposition forces through mobilization and advocacy.
The head of the Turkoman Council, Muhammad Selo, provided an overview of the Council, which was established in 2012 at the outset of the revolution. The Council includes several Turkoman parties, such as the Turkoman Movement, the National Bloc, and the Renaissance Party. These parties aimed to amplify the voice of the Turkoman community to the wider Syrian population and international forums.
Selo highlighted one of the Council’s key objectives: to overthrow the Assad regime and facilitate a political process that involves all components of the Syrian people. The aim was to address the political disenfranchisement endured by the Syrian people for decades and work towards a unified Syria, united in land and people.
Council member Abdel Nasser Hesso noted that Turkoman political work existed prior to the revolution, but external pressures prevented its visibility. Hesso mentioned attempts at political engagement in the 1980s that were thwarted due to the arrest of many individuals who were falsely accused of affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1997, the Assad regime launched another wave of arrests, targeting Council members on charges of working for Turkey.
Abdul Majeed Barakat, Secretary of the SOC’s political committee and a member of the Parties Committee, stressed the importance of engaging with revolutionary currents in Syria. Barakat emphasized the need for all SOC components to be robust, influential, and have a tangible impact on the Syrian populace.
He addressed the suffering of the Turkoman community, highlighting their oppression under the Assad regime and the absence of political life in Syria. Barakat mentioned that the Turkomans were denied the formation of political and national associations, unlike other ethnic groups such as the Circassians and Armenians, who were allowed to engage in organizational and political activities.
Kaddo underscored the necessity of intensifying activities and demonstrating the enduring efficacy of the Syrian revolution and opposition forces. He emphasized that the process of normalization between certain countries and the Assad regime would not deter their continued struggle or relations with international and regional parties that support a UN-backed solution in Syria.
Kaddo reiterated the SOC’s commitment to revitalizing the political process and advocating for the implementation of UN resolutions, foremost among them the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolutions 2118 and 2254.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
