ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) demands for federalism and decentralization are detrimental to Syria’s territorial integrity, warning that Ankara will support any move by Damascus to preserve it.
“The SDF continues to voice demands for decentralization and federalism and is not taking steps to integrate into the central authority. As we have emphasized before, this stance by the SDF harms Syria’s territorial integrity and stability,” the Turkish state-run TRT Haber cited the ministry as saying in a statement.
The SDF and Syria’s transitional government in Damascus signed an agreement in March to integrate the SDF and northeast Syrian (Rojava) institutions into state structures and establish a nationwide ceasefire.
Implementation negotiations are ongoing, but significant differences remain. Kurdish negotiators seek to integrate the SDF as a unified force, while the Syrian government prefers absorbing fighters individually into regular army units. The Kurdish-led administration in Rojava, along with Alawite and Druze groups, has been pushing for decentralization.
Ankara, which is among the key regional supporters of the new Syrian government, has repeatedly called on the SDF to accelerate its integration, accusing it of intentionally delaying the process. The SDF has expressed its readiness to implement the agreement but has noted that the process requires time.
“We are maintaining close cooperation with the Syrian government in line with the principle of ‘One State, One Army’ and are closely monitoring the integration process. If the Syrian government decides to take an initiative to preserve the country’s unity and territorial integrity, Turkey will support it,” the Turkish defense ministry said on Wednesday.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi was scheduled to visit Damascus before the New Year to discuss the integration process, but its spokesperson said on Monday that the visit has been postponed due to “technical reasons” until further notice.
The SDF emphasized that the postponement is related to logistical and technical arrangements and “does not reflect any change in the course of communication or the objectives under discussion.”
“The SDF continues to voice demands for decentralization and federalism and is not taking steps to integrate into the central authority. As we have emphasized before, this stance by the SDF harms Syria’s territorial integrity and stability,” the Turkish state-run TRT Haber cited the ministry as saying in a statement.
The SDF and Syria’s transitional government in Damascus signed an agreement in March to integrate the SDF and northeast Syrian (Rojava) institutions into state structures and establish a nationwide ceasefire.
Implementation negotiations are ongoing, but significant differences remain. Kurdish negotiators seek to integrate the SDF as a unified force, while the Syrian government prefers absorbing fighters individually into regular army units. The Kurdish-led administration in Rojava, along with Alawite and Druze groups, has been pushing for decentralization.
Ankara, which is among the key regional supporters of the new Syrian government, has repeatedly called on the SDF to accelerate its integration, accusing it of intentionally delaying the process. The SDF has expressed its readiness to implement the agreement but has noted that the process requires time.
“We are maintaining close cooperation with the Syrian government in line with the principle of ‘One State, One Army’ and are closely monitoring the integration process. If the Syrian government decides to take an initiative to preserve the country’s unity and territorial integrity, Turkey will support it,” the Turkish defense ministry said on Wednesday.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi was scheduled to visit Damascus before the New Year to discuss the integration process, but its spokesperson said on Monday that the visit has been postponed due to “technical reasons” until further notice.
The SDF emphasized that the postponement is related to logistical and technical arrangements and “does not reflect any change in the course of communication or the objectives under discussion.”
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