By Miran Hussein
Within the framework of the latest changes in Syria and the emergence of a new power in Syria, new situations have arisen in Syria and Rojava (Western Kurdistan) that undoubtedly have significant implications for the entire Middle East and the Kurdistan Region.
In addition to rapid changes occurring throughout the Middle East, alongside Iran’s withdrawal from the region, it is necessary for Kurds to be very cautious in dealing with the new Middle Eastern situation, and not allow the Kurdish issue to become a victim of these changes, but instead turn them into opportunities and gains.
Rojava is a Kurdish entity that emerged after the Arab Spring revolutions in Syria in 2011 and the rise of the terrorist ISIS organization in the region. As a de facto political entity, it has established itself as a Kurdish entity in the northwestern Syria and has controlled most of the Kurdish areas in Syria.
The relationship between Rojava and the Kurdistan Region is bilateral because the Kurdistan Region needs Rojava for several reasons, and similarly, Rojava needs the Kurdistan Region.
For the Kurdistan Region, Rojava is a strategic area and a support from strategic and national perspectives. Besides having significant amounts of natural oil and gas, it is a region rich in agriculture and water resources. Most importantly, Rojava could potentially become a gateway for the Kurdistan Region to access the Mediterranean Sea for oil exports and importing necessities away from the control of other countries. Therefore, Rojava’s survival as a political entity provides strength to the Kurdistan Region, which will help the region escape the blockades of neighboring countries.
Conversely, the Kurdistan Region is also a strategic area and support for Rojava from strategic and national perspectives. Past experience has proven that the Kurdistan Region is a strategic weight for Rojava, just as it sent Peshmerga forces to Kobani to defeat the ISIS threat. Similarly, the Kurdistan Region will become an important gateway for Rojava. Since 2011, the Kurdistan Region has been a refuge for tens of thousands of Rojava refugees.
Moreover, the Kurdistan Region is the only Kurdish authority in the region. Since 1991, it has successfully established a very strong network of relations with regional and global countries, especially with Turkey, Gulf countries, European countries, and the United States. Therefore, the Kurdistan Region can play a significant role for Rojava, such as ensuring the survival of the Rojava region as an independent entity and protecting it from all efforts to eliminate or erase it.
The Kurdistan Region can also play a mediating role between the Rojava authority, the new Syrian government, and Turkey, helping to ease their conflicts. It can also assist Rojava in establishing relationships with other countries, particularly major powers, and provide diplomatic support.
Therefore, the Kurdistan Region must make Rojava’s survival a strategic priority of the region because this entity is of strategic importance and a strong support for the Kurdistan Region. The absence of this entity would weaken the Kurdistan Region and create a power balance against it. Thus, the Kurdistan Region must now, more than ever, use all its capabilities, weight, and connections to protect the Rojava entity, strengthen it, and ensure its survival through the diplomatic relations of the Kurdistan Region with global countries and its friends, and by creating a global lobby to protect this entity.
In return, the leaders of Rojava must work in coordination with the Kurdistan Region as allies and supporters, not enemies or competitors. They should pursue a policy of mutual support, benefit from international support, and stay away from any agenda contrary to Kurdish interests. Similarly, they should utilize the capabilities of the Kurdistan Region and its political, diplomatic, and economic network connections with the aim of protecting this entity, which has been preserved by the blood of thousands of Kurdish citizens.
This demonstrates that Rojava and the Kurdistan Region are strong supports for each other and have strategic depth.
Therefore, it is time to set aside differences and agree on a comprehensive strategic framework that protects the interests of both sides, work towards a comprehensive national strategic unity, agree on general lines, and distribute roles between them with the aim of protecting and achieving the supreme national Kurdish interests and the shared interests of both the Kurdistan Region and Rojava entities.