Response to interpellation 2025/26:339 on the Syrian regime's attacks against Kurds

Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! Kadir Kasirga has asked me what concrete initiatives I intend to take, bilaterally and within the EU, to work towards an immediate stop to the Syrian regime's attacks against Kurdish-controlled areas. Kadir Kasirga has also asked how I intend to act to handle the situation with the IS-Daish prisoners who have fled and to prevent new terror structures from being established. Finally, Kadir Kasirga has asked me in what way I intend to act to ensure that Swedish aid or political support to Damascus is conditioned on clear demands for democratic reforms, minority protection, and international monitoring.

A peaceful and inclusive Syria is in the interest of Sweden, Europe, the region, and not least the Syrian people. It is therefore welcome that the Syrian transitional government and the SDF reached an agreement on January 30 to incorporate military and civilian institutions under the central authority, and that they have since made progress in implementing this agreement in a peaceful and orderly manner. We urge the parties to continue working together in this constructive spirit.

Civilians must be protected. Those responsible must be held accountable. In talks with representatives of the transitional government, Sweden and the EU emphasize the importance of allowing both women and all the country's ethnic and religious groups to actively participate in the building of the new Syria.

The Government has noted the information that individuals have reportedly escaped from prisons in northeastern Syria, but also that a number of these have reportedly been repatriated. Sweden follows the developments in the region, including through the EU and through our participation in the global coalition against Daish, where, among others, the USA and Syria are members.

To adapt the aid to the developments in the country after the fall of the Assad regime, the government decided in September 2025 on changes to the aid to Syria. The change makes it possible to support public institutions. Swedish aid shall contribute to a Syria that is possible to return to.

Swedish representatives continue to emphatically emphasize the importance that all Syrians, regardless of gender and ethnic or religious affiliation, must be allowed to participate in building the new Syria and that human rights are respected. Sweden will, in close cooperation with the EU and other like-minded parties, continue to support the Syrian people in its endeavor to build a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Syria.

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Kadir Kasirga (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the answer!

I want to begin with the broad security policy situation in the Middle East. We are currently seeing a very dangerous development in the region. The war between Iran on one side and the USA and Israel on the other side risks escalating further.

History shows that conflicts in the Middle East rarely stay where they begin. They spread, create new areas of conflict, and often lead to consequences that no one really had foreseen. This makes the developments in Syria even more crucial.

When we speak about Syria, we must also speak plainly about Iran's destructive role in the conflict. The Islamic Republic in Tehran was not a passive actor. Together with Russia, it played a decisive role in keeping the Assad regime in power and in prolonging the civil war.

It was not just about political support. Iranian commanders and Iranian military were on the ground, Iranian militias were deployed, Hezbollah crossed the borders, and thousands of foreign Shia militias were recruited and sent to Syria. Billions of dollars were pumped in to keep the Assad regime's war machine alive, while Syrian cities were bombed and people disappeared in the regime's prisons. We know the result: mass graves and torture prisons. Entire communities were wiped out, and millions of people were driven into flight.

Madam Speaker! The fall of the Assad regime was a historical event, but history teaches us something important: The fall of all dictatorships does not automatically lead to democracy. Crucial questions today are therefore: What is emerging in Syria after Assad's dictatorship? Is it an inclusive society where all ethnic groups have a place, or is it a new authoritarian system where sectarianism and religious dominance replace the old dictatorship?

The Foreign Minister speaks in his response about the importance of an inclusive Syria and that all groups should be allowed to participate in building the country's future. These are important words, but the developments on the ground raise questions. We have seen reports of massacres against Alawites and Druze, and now we see military attacks against the autonomous Kurdish region of Rojava in northeastern Syria.

Madam Speaker! There is a historical irony in this. When the world stood helpless before the terrorist organization IS, it was Kurdish women and men who stood on the front line. Therefore, we must today ask a simple but decisive question: How do we treat those who once stopped the Islamic caliphate?

Let me specifically mention the Kurdish female soldiers in the YPJ. We remember them from Kobane. When IS was at its strongest, Kurdish women and men stood firm – street by street, house by house. Under the slogan jin, jiyan, azadi – woman, life, freedom – they fought against the caliphate. Today we hear the same slogan shouted by women on the streets of Stockholm, on the streets of Paris, and on the streets of Tehran. It says something about the power of the struggle that began in Rojava.

Today we see, however, how the forces that once stopped IS are once again being attacked by Islamists in Syria.

Madam Speaker! There is now an agreement between Kurdish representatives and Damascus. I want to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs: How can this agreement survive without international guarantees? What can Sweden contribute in this case?

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Johan Büser (S)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking my colleague Kadir Kasirga for an important interpellation. It addresses a question that is not only crucial for the development in Syria but also concerns Europe's security and how we as a country stand up for democracy, human rights, and protection for minorities.

The developments in northeastern Syria have recently been very worrying. For many years, Kurdish forces, together with other minorities, have played a completely decisive role in the fight against the terrorist organization IS. They have often done so with very small resources and at a very high price.

It was in cities like Kobane that the international coalition, together with Kurdish forces, succeeded in breaking ISIS's territorial control. The struggle was not only about Syria's future but also about Europe's and Sweden's security. Therefore, it is deeply worrying that we now see that the areas that previously bore such a great responsibility in the fight against terrorism are once again being subjected to military attacks, destabilization, and threats to the civilian population.

Madam Speaker! It is against this background that my colleague has posed a question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on how Sweden shall ensure that any potential assistance and political support to Damascus is conditioned on democratic reforms, protection for minorities, and international monitoring. It is a completely crucial issue.

Syria's future cannot and must not be built on a return to an authoritarian rule where minorities are oppressed and the opposition is silenced. Syria's future must instead be built on respect for the country's ethnic and religious diversity and on guarantees for both collective and individual rights. Here, Sweden has had a historically clear line: to stand up for international law, human rights, and protection for minorities.

Madam Speaker! The Government has carried out high-profile visits to Syria and spoken of stability and future cooperation. But stability can never be built on the basis that minorities' rights are sidelined or that the groups that have borne an enormous responsibility in the fight against IS are left without political support.

At the same time, we have recently seen reports of an agreement between Sweden and Somalia, where migration policy and aid are linked. If I have understood the matter correctly, the same applies to Syria. This has sparked significant criticism, as it risks giving the impression that aid is being used as an instrument in migration policy agreements.

It is serious issues we are discussing. These are also issues that the opposition has wanted to get clarity on through the Committee on the Constitution, but when proposals were submitted that the Prime Minister should be heard on these issues in the KU, it was blocked by the government base. We Social Democrats view the use of the KU in this way very seriously.

Madam Speaker! When the government acts in Syria at the same time, larger questions are raised: What line is Sweden driving in the region? Shall Swedish foreign policy continue to be clearly anchored in support for democracy, international law and protection for minorities, or does it risk being increasingly characterized by short-term migration policy agreements and realpolitik compromises?

It is against this background that I want to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs how the government concretely intends to ensure that political support and aid to Damascus is actually conditioned on demands for democratic reforms, protection for minorities, and international monitoring.

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Markus Wiechel (SD)

Madam Speaker! I actually had my own interpellation on this subject. It was planned to be debated on Friday, but in order not to waste the Foreign Minister's time, I intend to withdraw it and instead participate in today's debate.

Of course, there are very many positive things about the situation in Syria. It is primarily that a brutal dictator has disappeared. That Assad is gone is something positive not only for us but also for the Middle East in general. We have also thus gotten rid of a close ally of Russia and other rogue states, such as the Iranian regime.

The problem is that it is a matter of keeping several thoughts in mind at the same time. The government that has come after Assad has hardly become particularly much better. It is, in fact, an extremely hardline Islamist who has taken over power. This is a person who has not only met al-Baghdadi, who was IS leader, but also collaborated with him. He went on al-Baghdadi's mission to Syria to form the Syrian branch of what was then the Islamic State and which later developed to become al-Qaida.

We know very well what they have done. They have burned people alive, they have beheaded people and they have mutilated people. They have murdered innocent men, women and children in the most horrific and sadistic ways. It is a terrible organization, and they still share ideology with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

On the streets of Damascus we see today – yes, I wouldn't go there now, but we see in pictures – that IS symbols are being sold as flags and so on. We see pictures of Syrian soldiers, now government soldiers, with IS symbols on their uniforms. One simply cannot be naive. It is a systematic radical Islamism that today rules Syria. It threatens Kurds, Alawites, Christians, Druze and others. It threatens everyone who is not like them. For that reason, I think that this should be highlighted in various international contexts.

We also see, not least considering the attacks against not only Alawites but also Kurds, how the regime's actions now demonstrate a form of power consolidation rather than an inclusion, which is what had been hoped for. That the Kurds are now forced to incorporate their forces and different parts of their society into this brutal Islamist sect is not positive, but on the contrary. They are being forced into this. I think it is an additional reason to try to increase the pressure to strengthen the rights of minorities in Syria.

As the Foreign Minister mentioned, we also see that IS terrorists have fled. But they have not only fled, the regime has also released IS terrorists – precisely because they share an ideological basis. This is, to put it mildly, something we should all be concerned about.

I have much more to say, and I will return in the next speech. Until then, perhaps the Foreign Minister can continue to describe what she is doing to strengthen the situation of the minorities in Syria.

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Kadir Kasirga for an important interpellation.

After five decades of harsh dictatorship and 14 years of civil war, the Syrian people were finally rid of the horrific Assad regime on December 8, 2024. The government wants to see Syria succeed in its transition to becoming a country like others. This would contribute to greater opportunities for peace and stability in the region, which unfortunately has experienced far too much of the opposite. Above all, the Syrian people would benefit.

The process of building up the new Syria has at times encountered setbacks that have resulted in abuses directed at different ethnic and religious groups in the country. The government has condemned the violence that has occurred, and we continue to point out the importance of holding those responsible to account. According to the UN, the fighting in northeastern Syria during January has not involved systematic abuses against civilians.

In the conversation with the transitional government, we emphasize the importance of full respect for the human rights of all Syrians, regardless of gender and ethnic or religious affiliation, and that they are allowed to become part of the new Syria. Something I believe is particularly important to highlight is the need for accountability both against the previous regime and against those responsible for the abuses that have been committed since then.

When it comes to Sweden's support for Syria, which some questions have been raised about: As I mentioned, the government revised and extended the aid strategy for the Syria crisis in September 2025, which has included, among other things, an increased focus on freedom of religion, strengthened protection of rights for persons belonging to religious groups, as well as measures to prevent extremism, which is incredibly important. The changes also involve an opportunity to provide support to public institutions in Syria to contribute to reconstruction, economic recovery, and precisely a democratic development, which was asked about here.

Sweden has long supported the Syrian people. The humanitarian support for the Syrian crisis amounted to 3.9 billion 2011–2024, and during 2025, the humanitarian support amounted to 360 million. Sweden's humanitarian support to Syria continues. I just said that we have the opportunity to also provide support to public institutions, but at the current time, the government has no formal agreements with Syria.

Sida has signed an agreement with the UN Population Fund UNFPA to support the program's strengthening of the midwifery profession in Syria. The program aims to improve the use of midwives' capacity to strengthen the care of mothers and newborns and will, among other things, lead to more midwives being competent and trained in accordance with international standards.

Sida's counterpart in this intervention is UNFPA, and the agreement shall support Syria's Ministry of Health in its work to develop new guidelines and legislation aimed at strengthening midwives' roles within the health system. It also enables some renovation of midwifery schools and maternal care clinics, as well as support for midwives' professional associations and trade unions in Syria.

Sweden is, therefore, doing a lot. It is in our interest to see a development in the right direction in Syria, that is to say a development that leads to democracy and an inclusive government. This applies in particular to women. I have personally had many conversations with representatives of women's rights organizations in Syria who, rightly, express concern for the future.

In conclusion, I shall say something about migration. It is generally interesting that the Social Democrats time and again claim that it was they who changed the migration policy and say they stand behind all the measures that are taken – while criticism always arises when such a measure is taken. The question, therefore, is what the Socialdemokratern actually want in the area of migration and whether one is prepared to implement the measures that de facto are required for stricter immigration and better integration.

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Kadir Kasirga (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answer, and I thank Johan Büser and Markus Wiechel for their contributions to the debate.

It is important to hear what the Foreign Minister says about accountability not only against the old Assad regime but also against the current power holders in Damascus.

Madam Speaker! Let me raise another issue that I believe deserves greater attention in this debate, namely the security risk linked to IS. The Foreign Minister says in his response that the government is following reports that individuals have escaped from prisons in northeastern Syria. We take those reports seriously.

When Kurdish forces were forced to leave al-Raqqa in connection with the fighting with the Syrian army, reports emerged that IS prisoners escaped from prisons in the area. Kurdish sources state that up to 1,500 former IS members – so it is about men who have fought previously – may have fled or been released. We have even seen images where the IS flag was raised again in al-Raqqa after the Kurdish forces left the area. This should set off the alarm bells, Madam Speaker.

At the same time, the notorious al-Hol camp, where around 24,000 relatives of IS members were previously held, has in practice been dissolved following the shift in power in the area. Thousands of people have disappeared from the camp, and it is still unclear where they are located. This raises several questions. What happens if security in northeastern Syria collapses completely? What happens to the thousands of IS supporters who still remain in prisons and camps in the region? What information is there regarding the IS prisoners who have ties to Sweden?

Madam Speaker! This is not just a regional issue, but it is also a question of Europe's and Sweden's security. History clearly shows that terrorist organizations grow in power vacuums, and right now, a such a power vacuum risks arising in northern Syria – in Rojava.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs says in his response that the government is now opening up for Swedish aid to be able to support public institutions in Syria. I heard the Minister for Foreign Affairs mention this, but it still raises questions for me. How will the government work to ensure that Swedish tax money is not used to build up institutions that in practice could become tools for a new authoritarian rule where women's rights are restricted and minorities are oppressed?

Both my colleague Johan Büser and Markus Wiechel mentioned that those who rule from Damascus today are not any doves. It concerns movements that still are based on the fundamentalist Islamist ideology and which have had a close cooperation with IS. Previously it was al-Nusra, today it is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, HTS. One has therefore in no way left these ideologies and ambitions behind – on the contrary!

In the long run, when power is consolidated, I believe at least that we will once again see a theocratic regime that actually resembles today's mullah regime in Iran.

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Markus Wiechel (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Kadir, for these words!

I can agree with what has been mentioned earlier, not least regarding the debt of gratitude we have to the SDF forces in northeastern Syria. They stood against IS and were the Western world's primary allies in the fight against the most brutal and harsh Islamists we have ever seen. It is them who are now, in many ways, being betrayed.

I agree with the Foreign Minister that there is an enormous opportunity here. One could strengthen Syria, for example, to increase the return. We saw how many Syrians were out on Swedish streets and squares and rejoiced that the Assad regime had fallen. This should reasonably mean that these people have a chance to return to their country.

However, it does not change the fact that we need to ensure that new problems and conflicts do not arise and that people are not forced to flee from there again. That is precisely the risk if one does not have a reality-based policy but instead focuses on some kind of illusion of an inclusion that does not exist. It is here that I feel certain apprehensions, not least considering that it has been expressed several times that there is now a new opportunity for change. I would like to see a change that actually includes – nothing else.

We will return to this. I would like to thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answer.

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I will begin with the IS prisoners. A large number of prisoners have recently been moved to Iraq, with the support of the USA. Third-country nationals are also to be among those who have been brought to Iraq. The transfer is reported to be completed now. We cannot confirm whether there are Swedes among those who have been brought to Iraq. We are, of course, following this very closely.

We have knowledge of a few women and children with links to Sweden who are or have been in these camps. UD has noted the information that the persons who have been in the al-Hol camp have been moved to another camp in the Aleppo province. We cannot confirm whether there are Swedes among those who have been moved.

We have also received information that a large number of people have voluntarily left the al-Hol camp in recent weeks, but we do not know whether there are any Swedes among them.

We are following this very closely, as said. We are also doing so through the EU, in dialogue with like-minded [countries] and through the coalition against Daish.

Kadir Kasirga asked a highly relevant question: How can we ensure that aid is not used for the wrong purposes?

Sweden has, through Sida, robust control systems to ensure that aid funds go to the intended recipients. The Government has taken measures to further strengthen the controls and counter corruption. In Sida's instructions, there is a new wording stating that Sida shall ensure that aid is not given to actors who engage in or support anti-democratic activities, violent extremism, Islamism, antisemitism, terrorism, activities that undermine the rights of women and girls, or hate propaganda directed at individuals or groups. The instruction further states that Sida shall work actively to counter all forms of corruption and irregularities. In addition, the Government has tasked Sida with systematically strengthening its work to prevent conflict of interest and corruption in the aid.

It is never completely risk-free. It is incredibly important that we have routines for this, that we are well aware of the risks and that we ensure that we follow up.

An intensified cooperation between Sweden and the EU and with the Syrian transitional government is important so that we can contribute to Syria becoming a prosperous country that it is possible to return to. Our contacts with Syrian representatives give us the opportunity to listen to their plans and challenges while we can convey our very clear expectations that they should build an inclusive society and emphasize the importance of respect for human rights.

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Kadir Kasirga (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answer and the debate. I also thank my parliamentary colleagues Johan Büser and Markus Wiechel for their important contributions to the debate.

Syria is at a decisive historical stage. The Assad regime is gone, but the decisive question remains unanswered: Will Syria's future be democratic and inclusive or authoritarian and exclusionary?

We see attacks against Kurdish areas. We see minorities, such as Druze, Alawites and Christians, who feel anxiety. We see reports of IS prisoners fleeing as security structures break down. At the same time, we know one thing: When the world needed someone to stop IS, the Kurds were there. They stood there in Kobane and in al-Raqqa. They stood on the front line against one of our time's most brutal terrorist organizations.

Madam Speaker! This leads to a very simple but crucial question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs: How do you actually treat the people who once defended the world against IS? Do you give them security guarantees, political support and political recognition, or do you leave them alone when they are attacked again by Islamists?

If the world fails those who stood there in Kobane and stopped the caliphate, one risks not only a new betrayal, but one also risks creating conditions where the next terrorist movement and the next terror regime can emerge.

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Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank Kadir Kasirga and the other interpellants for a very important debate.

I believe that we will have every reason to return to the developments in Syria in this chamber and in other places. It is very important that we continue to shed light on the developments there, because it is a decisive shift that is occurring now. It is important that the development goes in the right direction and that minorities and women are respected.

Speaking of women, I would like to mention one of the most inspiring people I have met. I have met her several times in my mission. I am talking about Hind Kabawat, the only female minister in the current Syrian government. She is an incredibly inspiring person who truly believes in Syria, even though she is well aware of the challenges that exist. She is one of all the good forces that we must support to see the right development.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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