Dısputes between the US and Turkey and the EU and Turkey reflect badly on Syrıans

Q: Where is he now?

Tammo: In Aleppo, and Damascus, he moved towards the Syrian regime. This area here is under the International Coalition’s influence. But the coalition doesn’t ask them why these amounts of money go to Qandil. Why are they not spend on the people? As humanitarian aid? It’s all we ask.

At the same time, these organizations which reject to work in Afrin, al-Bab, Jarabulus, Tel Abyad, and in Ra’s al-Ayn –  why do they work with Jolani? And Jolani is also on the list of terrorist groups with the name of al-Qaida. Why would an American go to Idlib and sit with Jolani ten days ago?

Q: I was also surprised. Why they go and sit with Jolani?

Tammo: You should be as well. But why doesn’t an American journalist go to Afrin as well? Or a British journalist. Why doesn’t he come to this area? To find out about the worries of the people, about the problems of the people?

Q: Actually I have to say, I also arranged my trip to Azaz and Afrin in March by myself.

Tammo: After 10 years of crisis, or the humanitarian disaster, we Syrians started to read politics well. Of course, we know there are no continued animosities nor friendships between states. These animosities between Turkey and the Europeans and the Americans reflect on us. It is exploited on us. We will be the victims, the simple Syrian employee who lives a simple life, from these disputes.

Unfortunately, we experience accordingly to what politicians express in the US and in Europe. The general European and American opinion. Why don’t these politicians talk about the Iranian militias or Hezbollah? They are also jihadists.

There is a basic point, I have a message maybe you can publish this, for the European public opinion in general and the Dutch. The Dutch government does not support politically the events in Syria. I’m sorry. They consider American policy. France, Germany, all consider the American policy first and then the European Union. We only ask to look at the situation through the eyes of a human being. You care about democracy and human rights in your country. This applies to every country in the world. In the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Guatemala, in America. Humans are humans whether European, Syrian, American, or African. All we ask for is the general opinion of the Europeans, to see that this matter is humanitarian, first and foremost.

This people are going through a crisis. The Syrian crisis is political, between a dictator and the people. The people want to get rid of this dictator supported by Russia and Iran.

They want to change the system towards democracy and towards the protection of human rights on the highest level. Unfortunately, the governments connected the humanitarian matter in Syria with the political matter. But the political matter is not connected with Syria but with international disputes, between the Americans with both the Russians and Turkey. This connecting of the humanitarian matter with the political matter leaves room to many questions: where are the human rights in Europe and are they leading here? There were demonstrations in Shadadi and in Manbij. Where did the gun fire come from that was fired at the people? From the International Coalition. It is the International Coalition offering these weapons to the PKK, and the PYD and innocent people are being killed.

Q: In the recent days there were also demonstration in Shadadi? Or when were they?

Tammo: Demonstrations took place in Shadadi fifteen days ago and a number of demonstrators were killed by gun fire. As we are speaking, demonstrations have been going on now for three days in Manbij. Does Europe have forced conscription? Do you kidnap minors, 12- and 13-years-old for the service? How can they kidnap children and bring them to military camps for forced conscription, with funds from the Europeans and the Americans? You are paying these organizations’ funding. And this is a fundamental point the general opinion of Europe should know. The Dutch citizens should know this.

We are here trying to get across what is going on concerning us, as Syrian representatives or as people from the Middle East. Maybe the Americans are very far, but we were looking at Europe as democratic countries respecting human rights, regardless of a person’s skin colour, religion or nationality. Europe paid the price to arrive to where it is today. It also paid victims in the millions. You know of course, Europe for over a hundred years ago. And since Europe paid the price, is it reasonable that Europe in 21st century helps a dictator and terrorist groups against humanity? Now in Syria, there is a new generation that has grown up with one idea: those Americans and Europeans supported terrorist groups who are fighting against us. We see this in Manbij. They see their brother killed by the European or American bullet, from the inside. We exhausted ourselves a lot as Syrian politicians to convince the people that Europe is pro-democracy and pro-human rights, but the new generation in Syria sees the opposite when it comes to Syria. And why do Europe and the US support the Emirate of Jolani in Idlib, but don’t support the inhabitants of Afrin, and Jarabulus, al-Bab, Tel Abyad and Ra’s al-Ayn? I talked with a European representative in Gaziantep and told him you are making a mistake. A human being is a human being, whether he is in Idlib or in Afrin or even in Lattakiya and Tartous. Don’t connect political matters to humanitarian matters. This goes also for the people in regime areas. Like the others, they are Syrian, and need aid, too.

Q: The Syrian can’t open his mouth..

Tammo: He cannot open his mouth. But in the end he is a human being and needs food, he needs medicine, and medical aid.

Q: What do the Europeans say?

Tammo: The Europeans connect the work with the political stance. Their disputes with Turkey lead to refusing aid to Syrians there. In that area, from Idlib to Ra’s al-Ayn, are millions of Syrians. In general, Europeans should understand that these millions of Syrians suffer from a refusal. This is an essential point.

We don’t distinguish between people, whatever their nationality. We don’t ask the Europeans to support us as politicians. I may differ with the EU in a political matter, but I have interests as a Syrian.

In the past, we used to say we would break the fear barrier, the fear from oppression, and from national slogans, in order to build a national state for and of the citizens, with equality between all the people in Syria. And even then, in the beginning, we hoped Syria could be part of the European Union. Our children could go and study in Brussels, in Holland, and build up Syria. Europe was our role model. But this hope, to comply fully with the EU, has faded.

We now have children that are being taught jihad. In Idlib, it is said: “We are going to liberate Rome.” Others say: “We are going to liberate Diyarbakir.” In Idlib, you can hear them say: ”Our goal is not Damascus, our goal is to liberate Rome.” Here is the problem. Unfortunately, the Europeans are the ones halting all this support, including education and humanitarian aid. It was possible to export these to the rest of Syria, but it is completely halted.

About the Kurdish IDPs, we now have 115,000 Kurds from Afrin in camps in Sha’ban, in Tel Rif’at.

Q: How many?

115,000 Kurds are present in the Shahba camps. That is called Shahba between Aleppo and Azaz. And we have 24,000 Kurds in camps in Debersiya, in Amouda in Qamishli, in Hasaka, they are from Ra’s al-Ayn. We don’t receive aid to help them return, neither from the Americans nor the Europeans, to put pressure on the PYD to allow the people to return to their houses. But what is worse, they present their terrorist projects to the people in the camps.  Who is offering bread to those in the camps? That is the PKK! They offer them humanitarian aid. They take children to Qandil. What will they become? Terrorists.

Q: Do they take children from the camps to Qandil?

Tammo: Yes they go to Qandil. The PKK is using them.

Q: Is there any proof of?

Tammo: There is all proof of.

The Syrian Kurdish Yekiti party (KNC / ENKS) published an article about four minors kidnapped from al-Shahba camps.