"The Kurds are an integral part of the Syrian people, they have the same rights and obligations as the rest of the Syrian people… I would like to stress that many Kurds are actually strongly opposing any form of division, either a federation, or cantons, or other forms. That is why, we keep on saying that Syria is capable and ready to settle the crisis alone, without interference from the outside," Haddad said, speaking at the Russian Federation Council.
On March 17, 2016, the Syrian Kurds announced the creation of the federal region of Rojava in northern Syria, while the Syrian government responded by saying that the Kurds’ unilateral decision had no legal power.
On April 18, Kurds in Syria’s Raqqa province announced that they would be setting up a civilian assembly that would govern the region after the removal of Islamists, according to media reports.
Kurds are an ethnic minority group occupying also parts of Turkey, Iraq and Iran.
