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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Democratic Union Party (PYD), the leading political force in northeast Syria (Rojava), on Friday welcomed recent steps toward integrating the region’s military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state, but stressed that lasting progress requires enshrining Kurdish rights in the country’s new constitution.
Syria’s education ministry on Thursday announced a new framework for Kurdish-language education, making Kurdish a mandatory subject in Kurdish-majority areas three times a week while ending full Kurdish-language instruction in the region. Rojava Kurds have enjoyed full Kurdish education since the former regime withdrew from the region 15 years ago.
The announcement came two days after Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced the dissolution of the force. Abdi was later named an advisor to Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
"Our party emphasizes that while these developments represent important and positive steps, they remain insufficient. The Kurdish issue is a fundamental matter in Syria, and the rights of the Kurdish people must be an integral component of the constitutional and political foundation of the new Syria," said the PYD in a statement on Friday.
"Furthermore, we believe that Kurdish participation in building state institutions and in political, military, administrative, and cultural life strengthens Syria, reinforces its unity and stability, and transforms its diversity into a genuine source of strength," it added.
Syria is currently governed under a five-year transitional constitutional declaration, with a permanent constitution expected to be drafted during the transition. The current declaration does not enshrine many of the rights Kurds have long sought in the country.
The integration process was first agreed upon in March 2025, but little progress was made throughout the year, with both sides trading blame for the delays.
A lightning offensive by Syrian government forces against the SDF in January 2026, however, saw the multi-ethnic force lose control of around 80 percent of the territory it previously held.
The fighting ended following US and French mediation and produced a roadmap for integrating the SDF into Syria’s Islamist-led armed forces.
Despite Abdi announcing earlier this month that the integration process had been completed, a Syrian presidential envoy told Rudaw on Thursday that some issues remained unresolved.
Among them is the future of the SDF-linked Women’s Protection Units (YPJ).
Kurdish officials initially insisted that the all-women force should join the army, while Damascus pushed for its integration into the interior ministry, as women do not serve in combat roles in the new Syrian army.
The YPJ has agreed to join the interior ministry, but its demand to remain a distinct unit within the counterterrorism force has stalled talks over its integration.
