His excellence the Syrian Orthodox bishop of Gozarto, Syria, Maurice Amsih is visiting Sweden. Assyria TV asked him for an interview to tell about the current situation in Gozarto. Despite the difficulties of the war he is hopeful about a better life for the Assyrians and other inhabitants. He says the solution seems to come soon where Gozarto will return to the control of the Syrian government after Aleppo is taken back.

He denounces any Kurdish abuses from the self-proclaimed PYD-rule towards the Assyrians, such as imposing Kurdish curricula in Assyrian schools, confiscating the property of the emigrated or to put the pro-Kurdish Assyrian militia MFS in the front line when Kurdish Asayish is fighting against the Syrian regime. Recently when the clashes in Hassakeh began, he went out to the street and prevented the MFS from shooting alongside the Asayish. The Kurds warned him but he ignored it.

In the Assyrian school in Derbesiyeh there are only four Assyrian pupils, but 300 Kurdish. Bishop Amsih refused to accept the Kurdish curricula in this school or any other school in Gozarto. He also refused to apply for permission from the Kurdish authority. In such case the school will loose its permission from the state of Syria, he says.

As to the attacks and suicide bombs in Qameshly, he is convinced that they are aimed to scare the Assyrians to flee, the same way it happened in the Nineveh Plains. But we will never surrender, he says. This is our ancestral land and we will remain here, he adds. The suicide bomb against the patriarch last May was carried out by a 14 year old mongoloid boy, and the belt probably exploded by remote control. The church is fully behind the unity of Syria and denounces any division of the country, bishop Amsih states.