Following the resistance of the SDF and the reactions of the Kurds and their allies, which forced international powers to exert pressure, leading to the cessation of attacks by HTS, ISIS and paramilitary groups supported by Turkey, politician Dylan Boutiflat, who was part of the French delegation that visited Qamishlo on 2 February, shared his observations of the region. Speaking to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Dylan Boutiflat, Secretary General for International Relations of the French Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste, PS), recalled the attacks carried out by ISIS in France in 2015, stating, "These people came to spread death in our streets. We have a responsibility to recognise that the threat to our friends in Kurdistan is a threat to all peoples living in democracy." 

 

Boutiflat, who stated that he went to Rojava last year out of this sense of responsibility, said, ". I can make the comparison because last year we were there, and it was a time of peace. The people were living in the same territory, in peace, in solidarity, with Kurdish people, Assyrian people, Alawite people, Yazidi people. And Rojava is the place where all these communities can live together without any threat or fear about what could be the comeback of the rule of ISIS and the Islamic State. For us, it was very important to be able to make this comparison. Every checkpoint I visited last year was full of military forces from the democratic forces in Syria (SDF), our friends from Rojava, and it was like under a siege, under a threat, not only in Qamishlo, but in Kobani too. And we have to be there to see that, to comment on that, and to be able to relay this situation in France. And we were in connection with my other partners. Anna Pic, deputy chair of the socialist group in parliament, last week that every day we were in Rojava, she spoke with the French Foreign Ministry and explained the very concrete actions of the criminals among the Colani, Shara and all Islamist forces. 

 

'YOU CAN BE THE NEXT TARGET'

 

Boutiflat said they had been "naive" about the regime in Damascus for the past year, said that Shara was the same now as he was in the past. Boutiflat said that although Shara's rhetoric regarding minorities, especially the Kurds, has changed, in reality this is a lie, adding, "We have to understand this double language that we are facing with them. And we have to say to the international community, be careful, because if you don't solve the situation and you don't support Kurdish people right now, you can be the next target in their mind. So we have to consider that the danger for your friends and for our friends there is the danger for us at the same time.”

 

FRANCE AS GUARANTOR COUNTRY

 

Commenting on France's designation as guarantor country following the recent agreement, Boutiflat said: "We are members of the parliament, but we are parties in the opposition to Emmanuel Macron. So it's not an easy situation for us, because at the same time, we are supposed to support our friends and to be able to talk with a common voice of the French parliamentary people. And now our responsibility is to declare any kind of support in our different parliaments. And today, I can announce to you that yesterday, in the Parliament of Europe in Brussels, there was a plenary session. And this plenary session has adopted a resolution, largely voted beyond the leftist coalition with the different liberals and democrats groups, calling for respect of the ceasefire and to call for France, for example, to be the guarantor of this agreement. We have to be careful on that. And our diplomacy has a very important role to play. And we just control, we check if this agreement is a real commitment in the field, in reality, in the streets of Qamishlo and in the whole Rojava field.”

 

Stating that aid to the Damascus regime must be subject to certain conditions, he said, "Because they just did not respect the agreement of last March 2025. We have to consider that we have to put conditions in the discussion and to put pressure on the Syrian state and all the negotiators in Damascus, because the situation is just the opposite of the promises of last year. So we have this responsibility to put some conditions in the discussion and to be able to put pressure on the opponents.”

 

'PEOPLE ARE STILL UNDER THREAT'

 

Pointing to the actions taken by the Kurds against the attacks, Boutiflat emphasised that he was impressed by this, saying that it was the first step towards discussing and recognising autonomy. Expressing his rejection of what happened in Rojava, he described the scene he encountered during his visit: "The people we met in the school of Qamishlo, they were refugees from Afrin. They were displaced four times in one year, and one of them, I met him last year in Raqqa, and he was really upset because he told me, ‘my dear friends, you were there with us, and you promised to protect us.’ And I feel guilty about that situation, because of Al-Shara's lies, these people still live under threat, and they still need our support to live peacefully and safely.”

 

'ABDULLAH ÖCALAN'S CALL PROMISES A LARGER DISCUSSION'

 

Noting that it is very important to establish the right perspective for the process, Boutiflat continued: "I deeply consider the call for peace and disarmament of Abdullah Ocalan as the promise of a very concrete and larger discussion. For what reason? Because we consider that this step towards peace between the different people of this region is something that we cannot avoid. And the best answer to military action like Jolani has decided to put in the field last month is to go on with the peace process and to be able to give a perspective. First of all, we have to talk about the capacity to organize society into a democratic framework, with the capacity of the people to vote for their representatives. And this is the model of Rojava that is in discussion right now. If we don't support this model now, it's the whole cause of the Kurdish people which is threatened right now. And on the other hand, I think we have an opportunity to talk about not only economic or military action, but to be able to talk about a process that could succeed in the Middle East. We have this responsibility as French people, because we know that the situation in Gaza, in Palestine, in Israel is just a mess right now because of our cowardice. So we have to be very committed to the situation in Kurdistan and in Rojava especially, because it's the next step for a future and peaceful living condition in the region." 

 

'WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY HISTORICALLY AND FRATERNALLY' 

 

Saying that the Kurdish people's right to self-determination must not be obstructed and that the "We know why we disagree with the situation and the threat of Jolani. We know why we fight the new kind of state terrorism of Erdogan. We have a responsibility to give a chance to peace. And my opinion from my party now is just that we have a great opportunity for cooperation, for partnership in this region. And I do believe that we have socialist party communities and local authorities to support all the local authorities in Rojava to develop this model, to increase access to water, to be able to guarantee human rights there. And we have a responsibility because I'm sure you don't know that next month we will have local elections in France. And I do pledge on behalf of my party the commitment to put stronger partnerships between Qamishlo and different local authorities of Rojava to get connected with other local bodies and authorities in Europe, and especially in France. This is the best way to cooperate together. And I think that responsibility for the dialogue now, I could say input by the speeches and the declaration of Abdullah Ocalan, has to be considered the last chance to be able to stop this violence. And we have a responsibility historically, politically, and fraternally." 

 

Providing information about the events they plan to organise in France for Rojava, Boutiflat concluded: "I believe we need to bring together all activists, MPs, trade unionists and civil society organisation members to raise awareness among the French people about the situation in Rojava. We have the opportunity to organise a meeting in the coming weeks, as we have already discussed this project with other partners. We must organise this because people need to understand that what we are doing for Rojava is actually something we are doing for all of us.” 

 

MA / Hivda Çelebi