Letter to Honorable Joe Biden, President of the USA

Dear Mr. President,
The Bethnahrin National Council wishes to express to you our sincerest congratulations on becoming the 46th President of the United States of America. We are confident that the universal values and ideals that you evoked in your inauguration speech will help the United States achieve unity, strengthen international relations and be a great step forward to achieving world peace.

The Bethnahrain National Council has been your ally in these democratic values you so eloquently expressed, as we fight for a new Middle East, which we hope will be with your much needed support. We represent our commonly values; upholding the United Nations principles and UN Charter of Human Rights through our grassroot political, cultural, social and military parties and organizations in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Europe and the United States of America. The Syriac Military Council (MFS), which is a part of our Council, is one of the founders of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who together with the military forces of the United States of America, has fought against terrorism and has pushed for its abolishment from northern and eastern Syria (and other areas in northern Iraq). Importantly, we have together realized a new Social Contract giving self-determination to one third of Syria and thereby showed a model of a new way forward in the entire region. Importantly, this model included gender equality and gave 40% of governing positions to women. American leadership and support are critical to our success and we look forward to working together with you as we confront global threats emanating from our region.

Our indigenous Syriac-Chaldean-Assyrian people have been oppressed and are still being subject to this day to massacres, persecution and marginalization from dictatorial regimes and terrorist organizations. As we continue to stand up against this, your support and engagement is paramount to assist our indigenous people to attain our rights, and play a role in establishing diversity, democracy and consolidating a multi-cultural world of common values that will promote peace among our different nations. These dictatorial regimes that we fight are the anthesis to international norms and regulations that have consistently broken international and customary law countless times. They are an enemy to the liberal international order that both, you and we so desperately strive toward. Our people seek not wish to impose tyranny upon those around us but rather be a diverse bulwark against extreme religious forces in the neighborhood.
We need more than ever to be recognized as equal citizens in the lands we live, and not be threatened by autocratic, totalitarian regimes. We want to be recognized as people and not a tolerated minority and with your leadership, credibility and influence the indigenous people of Mesopotamia can finally have a voice at the international negotiating tables, and especially in Syria.

Since 2002 in Iraq our indigenous people need self-administration and local autonomy for our Syriac-Chaldean-Assyrian people. Our fight has not just been for our people but also for the Yazidi and Turkmen people in Iraq’s Nineveh Province.

In Lebanon we can only survive if your administration supports a democratic pluralistic regime, that guarantees political, religious and nationalistic freedom to all citizens.

In Turkey we struggle for our cultural and religious rights and for the recognition of our Syriac identity.

Mr. President, you said in your Foreign Policy Vision that the world does not organize itself and that American leadership backed by sound goals and strategies is necessary to define the global challenges of our time. We as indigenous peoples of the Middle East stand with you and ask to work together with you to promote these democratic values in our region of; respect, tolerance, gender equality, restoring of human rights and empowerment of indigenous and native peoples. We admire the inclusivity off different backgrounds in your administration as this promotes equality and authentic representation. It inspires our people in our homelands to have this goal and model, and we know this only can be achieved by respect and recognition of each other.

Syriac-Chaldean-Assyrian people are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia and became a minority in their own homelands and many fled autocratic powers intent on threatening our global values and peace. We strongly wish our people to return to their homelands. Therefore, we seek a Middle East that is based on citizenship where all Syriacs are equal in rights and privileges regardless of their religion, sect or ethnicity.

We welcome your new administration to the White House and hope to deepen our relationship in order that together we will be able to win the battle against the ongoing crises crippling the Middle East and the world. We ask you to continue to stand by us, and want you to know you have a reliable indigenous partner in the field of fighting terrorism, dictatorship, and extremism as we – together serve the common goals to promote peace, progress and global security for our region.