ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday hosted Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Elham Ahmed, a senior official from the governing administration of northeast Syria (Rojava), in Damascus to discuss the ongoing integration of the Kurdish-led enclave's institutions.
Sharaa received Abdi and Ahmed at the People's Palace in the presence of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Ziad al-Ayesh, governor of Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor province, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
Discussions centered on "completing the implementation of the January 29 agreement with the SDF and following up on the process of integration within state institutions," SANA added.
The landmark January agreement followed weeks of escalation that saw Syrian government forces and affiliated armed groups seize territory previously held by the Kurdish-led forces in eastern Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province in Rojava.
The SDF, which serves as the de facto military force in Rojava and remains a key partner of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), had controlled these areas since expelling the extremist group during the war against it.
Under the agreement, a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire was established, alongside provisions calling for the integration of civil and military institutions in Rojava into the Syrian state.
Since its implementation, several SDF-linked figures have assumed government roles, including positions within the defense and internal security structures, as well as local administration posts in Hasaka province.
SDF-appointed Hasaka Governor Nour al-Din Ahmed on Thursday said about 70 percent of the institutional integration has been completed, as key combat units of the SDF army and its affiliated internal security forces (Asayish) will also be integrated as distinct, regionally-based divisions within the Syrian army and interior ministry, respectively.
The key meeting between Sharaa and the senior Rojava delegation comes a day after Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani visited Damascus on Monday, where he met with Sharaa for talks that centered on enhancing economic cooperation, regional developments and a "number of issues of common interest," the Syrian presidency said in a statement.
SDF Commander Abdi later that day lauded the Kurdish President’s trip, noting, "We are confident that this visit will have a positive impact on Syria's stability and on resolving the Kurdish issue in the region."
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