ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria will soon open a consulate in Erbil following a preliminary agreement, a senior Syrian foreign ministry advisor told Rudaw, citing growing diplomatic ties between Damascus and the Kurdistan Region following President Nechirvan Barzani’s visit to the Syrian capital.
Syrian foreign ministry advisor Najeeb al-Ghadban told Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan in an interview aired on Saturday that relations between Damascus and Erbil have reached an “advanced” stage, “especially after Mr. Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Damascus. It was truly very important; it was a historic visit."
“It was the first high-level meeting between the leaderships of the two sides,” Ghadban said, adding that for Syrians “it represents an acknowledgment of the positive role the region has played recently.”
Barzani visited Damascus in early August and met with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, formally inviting him to visit the Kurdistan Region and expressing confidence in his vision for the country's recovery.
The visit followed a series of high-level contacts between Erbil and Damascus since the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Ghadban said the planned consulate would provide administrative services to the large Syrian community residing in the Kurdistan Region.
“A preliminary agreement has been signed, though I do not have the exact details of the timeline. However, I believe it will be very soon," he said.
Turning to domestic developments, Ghadban said Damascus now recognizes Kurds as an integral part of Syrian society.
"The state's view of the Kurdish component is the natural view that should have existed a long time ago—that they are an essential component of the Syrian people," he said.
"There were huge steps forward that coincided with something very important: the presidential decree that recognized the Kurdish component, granted them their rights, and granted citizenship to the stateless Kurds who had been denied it for long periods under the defunct regime," he added.
Ghadban also pointed to progress in integrating Kurdish-led forces into Syria's state institutions.
"Implementing this agreement regarding the security and military integration of the [Syrian Democratic Forces] SDF, for example, has seen major achievements,” he said, adding that “there is a genuine political will to fully resolve this issue."
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi announced in late August the dissolution of the force following a meeting with Sharaa in Damascus, fulfilling a landmark January 29 agreement to integrate northeast Syria’s civilian and military institutions into the state apparatus.
