The Kurds in Syria were in the control of a large part of the country in the north before Turkey launched separate operations against the region in 2018 and 2019 and took the control of a large border area in Syria. The region Turkey controls includes the Kurdish cities of Afrin, Gri Spi and Seri Kani. The Kurds were later made into withdrawing their forces from Syria northern regions where Syria and Russian forces took its control. The Kurds and US control over Syria is now restricted to the oil-rich regions in the war-torn county.

Kurdpress made an interview with Fabrice Balanche, a Université Lyon professor, over the situation in Syria and the latest developments in the country.

He belives the Kurds were the main losers of the incidents in October 2019 as, according to him, the Kurds in Syria lost their dream for establishing a Kurdish autonomous region in the country.

We saw three agreements between different players in Syria in October: Turkey-Russia, U.S, Turkey- Russia, and Russia- Syria and all of them focused on the Kurds. Who is the winner and who is the loser in the deals?

Turkey and Russia are the two big winners because they pushed the United States further east. Even though the United States maintains bases east of Khabur and controls oil fields. They have lost the trust of local actors. The Kurds feel betrayed and the SDF Arabs are negotiating their integration with the Syrian army, because they know that the United States will leave soon. The Syrian government is a half-winner because it had to give up a new piece of its territory (between Ras al-Ain and Tel Abyad) to Turkey and it could not regain full control of the northeastern Syrian, in especially the oil fields it needs to revive its economy. The Kurds are the big losers because they see their dream of autonomy in Syria disappear.

Do you see a possible agreement between the U.S and Russia regarding October Developments? And if there is an agreement, what is the main idea about it?

We already have an agreement between Russia and the United States. The withdrawal of the American troops was carried out without problem. US forces encountered Syrian army convoys on the roads without confrontation. The United States retains control of the sky east of the Khabour. Is there another agreement on the future withdrawal of American troops? Russia knows that the US presence in Syria is now unsustainable since the United States no longer has reliable allies.

Is there any agreement between Turkey and Syria, especially regarding the Kurds?

I think that there is no agreement between Turkey and Syria because it is Russia which manages the relationship between the both countries. But the Syrian and Turkish governments share the same hostility towards Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria. Second, you have to be realistic: if the YPG is useful in Damascus to prevent pro-Turkish Arab rebels from seizing more territory in northern Syria, Damascus will support the YPG. In 2012, the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad preferred to leave the Kurdish territories to the PYD to prevent them from falling into the hands of the PDK or Kurdish parties close to the Syrian opposition. Damascus supplied arms to the YPG until 2014 and the YPG collaborated with the Syrian army in Aleppo against the insurgency. So it can happen again.

How do you see Kurd's position in Syria? Which one has more benefits for Kurds: relying on Syria and Russia, making a mutual agreement with Damascus or relaying on U.S presence in Syria?

The Kurds in Syria can no longer rely on the American presence. I also think that they should never have counted on this long-term presence because it was obvious that once the Islamic State eliminated, the Kurds would become useless and even a problem for the United States which does not want get angry with Turkey. The problem is that on the Russian side, the Kurds did not have many guarantees either. But in 2017, they should have been a little more insightful and not think that the United States would support them forever after the Islamic State was wiped out. The Kurds should not have fought for Raqqa and Deir al Zor, Arabs territories, but simply protect Rojava and side with Russia, because after the Russian victory in East Aleppo, it was obvious that the regime of Bashar al- Assad was saved and that Russia was going to settle in Syria in the long term, much longer than the United States. Today, I do not know what the Syrian Kurds can negotiate with Damascus, because they are in a weak position. But they have no other choice.

Reporter’s code: 50101