Salih Muslim, a member of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Presidential Council, said that the experience of Rojava in governance is “unprecedented” in respecting the rights of all communities, as this is achieved through decentralization. He called on Damascus to see the Kurds as a “genuine partner.”

Speaking at the Social Democratic Alliance in the Arab World Conference on Thursday, Muslim stated that while many expected tensions between different ethnic groups in the region and in post-Assad Syria, Rojava has established a successful example of governance.

"Our experience in the west, which is northern and eastern Syria, has been unprecedented. We are all politicians, and we know that the situation was leaning toward creating a new Middle East. Maps were drawn, agreements and alliances made, but the Kurds had no place in this equation, especially the Syrian Kurds," Muslim said, adding that by defending “ourselves and organizing our homes, we were able to gain power through the July 19 revolution.”

"After the revolution, we encountered armed groups that are Salafists, and we have been facing them since 2012. It was sudden, and none of the forces expected this,” he continued, noting that through the leadership of Abdullah Ocalan, they were able to “provide an example of governance through democracy, where Kurds, Syrians, Arabs, and other nations can live together.”

He stated that the new Syrian regime wants to create an Islamic caliphate, calling instead for decentralization and democracy, though “the new Syrian regime considers the word democracy to be blasphemy."

Muslim underscored that Rojava is an example of democratic governance where Kurds, Syriacs, Arabs, and others live together. "There are 60 million Kurds living in the world, and the only solution to the Kurdish issue is democracy," he said.

He further remarked that Kurdish constituents of northern and eastern Syria “want this new regime to see us as genuine partners of the country. We are genuine partners in religion, freedom, and everything else, so let's shape the country's future together."

Muslim asserted that the situation cannot be returned to the way it was before 2011. “Any Syrian citizen—Kurdish, Arab, or any other community that has gone through this experience—wants to share in the political decisions that come out of Damascus.”

"For this goal to succeed, a system of decentralization must be followed. The decentralization we demand may bring peace to the country," he highlighted.