Armenian and Syriac figures call for preserving civil peace
Armenian and Syriac figures in the Jazira have called for containing current tensions, upholding dialogue and peaceful coexistence, and resisting attempts to sow discord among communities. They warned that maintaining stability is a collective responsibility during Syria’s transitional phase.
Amid the sensitive circumstances facing the region and ongoing attempts to undermine civil peace and foment Arab-Kurdish discord, particularly in Hasakah, where demonstrations originating in the Ghuwayran neighborhood have been accompanied by acts of vandalism against property and inflammatory rhetoric, our agency spoke with figures from the Armenian and Syriac communities.
Yusuf Malla, a member of the Armenian Council, said many things had recently gone off course, explaining that they had hoped the period following the fall of the Baath regime would bring better days under a new mindset and a new system. However, he said, the current situation did not reflect their hopes and aspirations.
Malla expressed dissatisfaction with the situation and attitudes prevailing in the region. Citing the position taken by Afrin residents when demanding the right to return to their homes, he noted that they had held demonstrations, raised their flags and symbols, and chanted slogans calling for their return without burning the Syrian flag, attacking other symbols, or chanting slogans offensive to any party.
Malla stressed that all displaced people have the right to return to their areas, including residents of the Ghuwayran neighborhood in Hasakah. However, he emphasized that their return must not become a means of harming the people already living in the area.
He called on tribal elders and community leaders to assume their responsibilities and stand against attempts to incite discord. He stressed the need to prevent divisions among communities, particularly between Kurds and Arabs.
He noted that relations between members of the two communities had gone beyond neighboring communities and developed into family and kinship ties. This, he said, made it essential to preserve these relationships, contain tensions, and resist attempts to destabilize the region.
At the end of his remarks, Malla urged the relevant authorities to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue and mutual understanding, stressing that violence does not lead to peace and is not a path toward resolving disputes.
He also emphasized that building a new Syria requires collective participation and creating space for all communities to live according to their identities and cultures on the basis of coexistence. Preserving this approach, he said, is everyone’s responsibility.
For his part, Habib Arditish, a representative of the Syriac community in the city of Tirbespi, underscored the importance of coexistence and resolving disputes through communication and dialogue among communities.
Arditish said the difficult experiences and circumstances the region had endured had reinforced the conviction that peaceful coexistence among all its residents must be upheld as the path toward resolving disputes.
He added that achieving coexistence was closely linked to guaranteeing the rights of all communities, as they form an integral part of the region’s social fabric.
Arditish concluded by emphasizing that discussion and dialogue remain the best means of addressing current political and social issues and overcoming obstacles, while avoiding anything that could fuel discord or undermine stability.
