Syrian Turkmen Assembly

The Syrian Turkmen Assembly (Turkish: Suriye Türkmen Meclisi, Arabic: المجلس السوري التركماني‎) is a coalition of Syrian Turkmen political parties and groups representing Syrian Turkmens in the Syrian National Council and the Syrian National Coalition.[2][3] It was established in December 2012 under the name Syrian Turkmen Platform (Suriye Türkmenleri Platformu) to reconcile the two major Turkmen parties Syria Turkmen Bloc and the Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement.

Syrian Turkmen Assembly
Suriye Türkmen Meclisi
MottoOnur ve Özgürlük Mücadelesi
(Fighting for Dignity and Freedom)
Formation15 December 2012 (2012-12-15)[1]
PurposeRepresent Turkmens in Syria
Providing the protection of Turkmen settlements and regions from Syrian Regime, ISIL, and YPG
HeadquartersIstanbul
Region served
Syria
Membership
360 delegates
(39 in administrative board)
Secretary General
Darin Berry
President
Abdurrahman Mustafa
Deputy President and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Zeki Mustafa Türkmen
Deputy President
Tarık Sulo Cevizci
Minister of Financial Affairs
Mehmet Sulo Türkhan
SubsidiariesSyrian Turkmen National Bloc
Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement
Syrian Turkmen Brigades
Websitewww.suriyeturkmenmeclisi.org
Formerly called
Syrian Turkmen Platform (Suriye Türkmenleri Platformu)

The military wing of the assembly is the Syrian Turkmen Brigades, and they are against the partition of Syria after the collapse of the Ba'athist government and they are protecting the Turkmen settlements and regions from the Syrian al-Assad government, ISIL, and the YPG, while participating in various offensives and sieges and also carrying out attacks on strategical positions for Turkmens and Turkey.[4]

The assembly has been officially representing Syrian Turkmens in ongoing Geneva peace talks on Syria as an official diplomatic part of the Syrian Opposition with Turkmen delegates.

History

The first meeting of Syrian Turkmen Assembly was held in Istanbul on 15 December 2012, and the participants asserted that there is an inequity toward the Syrian Turkmens by the opposition forces as they do not give more seats in the Syrian National Coalition. They decided to meet and select the representatives of the assembly in the next meeting, and at the end of the first meeting, the common decision of Syrian Turkmen Assembly was declared: "Regardless of any ethnic or religious identity, a future in which everybody can be able to live commonly under the identity of Syrian is targeted in the future of Syria."[5]

Official flag of the Syrian Turkmen people announced by the Syrian Turkmen Assembly. Also used by Syrian Turkmen Brigades on battlefield.

The second meeting of Syrian Turkmen Assembly took place in Ankara on 30 March 2013. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, and George Sabra also participated in the meeting. Davutoğlu called the Turkmens to take an active role in the Syrian National Coalition and contribute within the new administration of Syria.[6] In response, 350 Turkmen delegates from different parts of Syria joined the Coalition and elected 39 representatives for the Syrian Turkmen Assembly among the members of different groups and parties. It was also agreed that the assembly will be reelected once a year, and the meetings will be conducted once a quarter. At the moment, 18 representatives of Syrian Turkmen Assembly are represented in the Syrian National Council, and four members in the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.[7]

The representatives of Syrian Turkmen Assembly was constituted during the second organisation of Syrian Turkmen Platform on 30 March 2013, and that became the joining point of Syrian Turkmen National Bloc and Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement,[8] which are two different political movements of Syrian Turkmens. The assembly joined the two movements and with a joint agreement each movement have been given a region to focus.

gollark: - To reduce bias in government decision making we will use a random number generator for all major policy problems.
gollark: - To ensure our ancestors' traditions are respected, we should randomly dig them up and drag them to voting booths.
gollark: 3.
gollark: - As eating meat places suffering on millions of innocent animals, I believe animal meat should be replaced with human flesh from donors, as humans are able to meaningfully consent to this while animals are not (and don't get a choice in practice anyway).
gollark: - To increase the efficiency of the education system and encourage self-directed learning, I believe schools should lock children in individual cubicles with textbooks for 5 hours a day instead of using classrooms and teachers.

References
  1. Turkmen demands are key to protecting Syria’s territorial integrity, Today's Zaman, 24 March 2013. "The first meeting of the Syrian Turkmen Platform was hosted by the Turkish Foreign Ministry in İstanbul on Dec. 15, 2012."
  2. ORSAM 2013, p. 13.
  3. Jamestown Foundation, Syrian Turkmen Join Opposition Forces in Pursuit of a New Syrian Identity, 30 May 2013, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/51ac74374.html [accessed 8 August 2013]
  4. Turkmen seek key positions in new Syrian cabinet, Asianet, Globalpost, 3 April 2013.
  5. Syrian Turkmens ask equality in opposition, Hürriyet Daily News, 17 December 2012, Istanbul.
  6. Foreign Minister Davutoğlu "Turkey will continue to support the Syrian Turkmen", Official Website for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Turkey
  7. Türkmen Konseyi kuruldu, AA News Agency, 1 April 2013
  8. Syrian Turkmens form new opposition front, Hürriyet Daily News, 22 March 2012, Ankara

Bibliography
  • ORSAM, ed. (March 2013). Syrian Turkmens: Political Movements and Military Structure (PDF). ORSAM–Middle Eastern Turkmen Report. 22 (= ORSAM Report No. 150). Ankara. ISBN 978-605-4615-47-6.
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