Zakharova's fears of Kurdish autonomy in Syria
October 26, 2020, 8:14 am

Zakharova's fears of Kurdish autonomy in Syria

zara saleh

In the recent Russian troops' attempt to expand their presence across the Kurdish region in north-eastern Syria, the local population strongly rejected any presence of Russia's military bases in the area.

When a Russian army patrol tried to enter the village of Ain Diwar, Derik, Rojava (northeast Syria), they were stopped by the villagers and a Kurdish woman angrily pointed the Russian commander and said "what do you want from the Kurds? We don't want you here". This scene has been repeated in several villages and areas that been Russia’s targets to create new bases or military points in the Kurdish self-Administration region and wasn’t the first time Russian troops have faced protests by local Kurds as a message of lack of trust.

Maria Zakharova, the Russia Foreign Ministry Spokesman again has stressed her concern about the situation in north-eastern Syria, on Thursday 22 October, and she said "Obviously, there is an American attempts to divide the Kurds from the Syrian State through feeding the Kurdish separatists tendencies". Arguably, Zakharova considered the US position as a threat to Syria's unity and sovereignty due to the supporting the creation of a "Kurdish state or autonomy" in northeast Syria that led by the Syrian Democratic Forces. Moreover, the Russian diplomats including Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister has repeatedly drawn attention to this issue by accusing the United States of supporting the Kurdish autonomy in north-east Syria.

In contrast to that and as a result of the Russia-Turkey agreement in October 2019 which should end the Turkish attacks on Kurdish areas, Moscow has allowed Ankara to occupy the Kurdish border towns of Ras Al-Ayn and Tel Abyad, following a partial American troop withdrawal from few military bases in border areas between Turkey and Syria. Added to that, in Kurdish region of Afrin, Russia has sold it to Turkey as deal for exchange to Eastern Ghouta and left again the Kurds at the mercy of Turkish army and its allies of the Syrian opposition militias and jihadists.

Consequently, the Russian positions and its steps towards the Kurds has aroused a doubt about "Moscow's mission" and the way how to protect the "Syria’s unity and respect for its territorial integrity and sovereignty" as Zakharova has mentioned in her last briefing speech while she was blaming and accusing US of dividing Syrian territories by supporting the Kurdish "separatists". However, Moscow's fail to play the role of guarantor actor between the Kurds and Assad's regime and to bring both sides to the table, has increased the Russia concern and fears about the US influence in northeast Syria.

Simultaneously with that, the US is driving an initiative for Syrian Kurdish unity negotiation with general Mazloum Abdi, the leader of Syrian Democratic Forces. Besides that, the American officials two months ago has declared the US oil company has reached a deal with the Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria to develop and export a crude oil in the areas under the Kurdish control. In this case, the US has left about 500 troops in northeast Syria to protect the oil fields in the area and preventing ISIS to re-emerge again according to American officials. That is why the tensions between Russia and the United States has significantly increased in last months and before the American Presidential election results that might have an important impact on Russian-American relationship including upcoming Syria's fate as well.

Zara Saleh

Russia is using Erdogan’s threats to blackmail Kurds Does Erdogan plan to launch another offensive on Kurds?

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”