During the first meeting of the party, which was established in Raqqa on March 27, Kaftan said that the establishment of the party came to "represent the aspirations of the Syrian people, draw a new map to resolve the [Syrian] crisis and work to create a democratic future for Syria," according to Hawar News Agency.
"Our party was created with an aim to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Syria through dialogue with neighboring states. We plan on operating all across Syria by opening regional departments in every province of the country," the party leader told Sputnik.
"By now we have operating offices in Raqqa, Manbij, Kobani, Qamishli, Haseke and Deir ez-Zor. Our party has representatives of Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Circassians," he pointed out.
Kaftan told Sputnik that while the party has relations with the PYD, it is not a branch of it and wasn't created on the initiative of the US.
"We are an independent political party. We don't seek conflict with any political force and advocate for inter-political negotiations as well as the building of a dialogue with the Syrian government in order to contribute to the resolution of the conflict and the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland," Kaftan stressed.
READ MORE: US Reporter in Douma: Nobody Heard or Saw Anything Like a ‘Chemical Attack'
According to Hurriyet Daily News, Yıldırım said that there is talk that the PYD changed its name to the SFP after being advised by the US, which has long been allied with the group's armed wing, the YPG, in the fight against terrorism. Ankara suspects the militia of having ties to the PKK, which is conducting an armed insurgency in Turkey with the aim of achieving Kurdish autonomy.
