This is not true. Both groups are Kurdish, but the Syrian Kurds, with their Arab allies and international support, are locked in a difficult, but thus far successful, battle against the Islamic State. The Y.P.G.’s fight is about Syria, not Turkey. Its role is to defend the institutions of self-government in Northern Syria (the party of which I am co-president, the Democratic Union Party, is part of this political coalition, along with other parties and civil society organizations).

It’s a fair question to ask what kind of democracy this is. Its central philosophy is that people should govern themselves from the bottom up, and so as much decision making as possible is left to local assemblies. These assemblies, furthermore, are designed to ensure a voice for non-Kurdish minorities and for women. This is real and genuinely inclusive democracy, and it deserves to be supported, not ignored.

This system could be a model for all of Syria, a country where any functioning democratic system would have to include all ethnic groups and religions in order to survive. This is why we have proposed a federal model of government for Syria. More local autonomy, without breaking up the country, offers more stability and inclusion than distant rule from Damascus. This realistic and pragmatic solution should be on the table for discussion in Geneva.

Unfortunately, while the Kurdish National Council, which is sponsored by the Kurdish administration in Northern Iraq and claims to speak for Syrian Kurds, was invited to the talks as part of a coalition of opposition groups, they do not legitimately speak for Rojava. The decision was made not to invite our own representatives.