U.S. Congressman Thomas Alexander Garrett visits Syrian Kurdistan

U.S. Congressman Thomas Alexander Garrett visits Syrian Kurdistan.
U.S. congressman Thomas Alexander Garrett (R) shakes hands with member of the Public Relations of the Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM) Aldar Khalil in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), November 2018. Photo: ANAHA

Kurdistan,— A high-ranking US delegation visited Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), the areas of northeastern of Syria, to learn about the democratic experience applied on the ground, led by the member of the US Congress Thomas Alexander Garrett, ANHA News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Garrett arrived in Syrian Kurdistan, or the Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria, on November 23 and was welcomed by officials at the Semelka border crossing between Syria and Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, according to ANHA.

The US Congressman stayed in Syrian Kurdistan for five days and met with representatives of the Jazeera region, Manbij, al-Bab, Jarabulus, Tabqa, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor, as well as Ain Issa and Qamishli.

he agency reported that Garrett wanted to see the status of the areas in northeastern Syria for himself and study the issue closely.

The US Congress member met with the co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Riyad Derar, the co-chair of the Executive Council of SDC Elham Ahmed, the members of the Presidency Body of Ain Issa city in addition to the co-chairs of the Executive Council of the Federal Democratic Council Fawza Yousef and Senharib Bersoum, the co-chair of the Executive Council Mansour Sellom in Qamishlo city and the member of the General Relations of the Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM) Aldar Khalil.

Earlier this month, he met with Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region’s Security Council in the KDP-controlled areas of Iraqi Kurdistan region, Masrour Barzani, and Kurdish Minister of Finance and Economy Rebaz Hamlan.

During the visit, Garrett advocated for the establishment of a modern banking system in Iraqi Kurdistan.

He also discussed religious freedom and the situation of Iraq’s displaced persons living in the Kurdistan Region, according to a statement by the Region’s Security Council that was posted on its official Facebook page.

Garrett was elected in 2016 from a district on Virginia’s southside and took up a position on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He declined to seek reelection and will leave Congress in January.

U.S. regards the Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD and its powerful military wing YPG/YPJ, as key ally against Islamic State IS and the most effective fighting force against IS in Syria and has provided them with arms, air support as well as the military advisers.

The YPG has seized swathes of Syria from Islamic State.

In 2013, the PYD — the political branch of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) — has established three autonomous Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan in 2013.

On March 17, 2016, Kurdish authorities announced the creation of a “federal region” made up of those semi-autonomous regions in Syrian Kurdistan.

Syrian Kurds on December 30, 2016 have approved a blueprint for a system of federal government in Syrian Kurdistan, reaffirming their plans for autonomy in areas they have controlled during the civil war.

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