SDF delegation arrives in Damascus to resume talks with Syrian government

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A delegation from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria (Rojava) arrived in Damascus late Monday for renewed talks with Syria’s interim government, Rudaw has learned. The discussions aim to advance the implementation of a key agreement to integrate the Kurdish-led forces into the Syrian military structure.

Rudaw’s correspondent in Damascus, Dilkhwaz Muhammad, reported that “an SDF delegation has arrived in the Syrian capital” to launch a new round of talks on implementing the March 10 agreement between SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi and Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The Abdi-Sharaa landmark agreement outlines the integration of “all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria [Rojava] under the administration of the Syrian state,” and establishes a “ceasefire across all Syrian territory.”

Since its signing in March, several rounds of discussions have been held to finalize the implementation of the deal.

According to Muhammad, the SDF delegation is led by Elham Ahmad, foreign relations co-chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).

In a late July interview with Rudaw, Ahmad said that while the talks with Damascus were making progress, they “had not yet reached the level of formal negotiations.” She described the meetings as “a form of dialogue” aimed at addressing the broader Syrian issue.

Emphasizing Kurdish officials’ support for a decentralized political system in Syria, Ahmad then-argued that centralized rule has long contributed to the country’s instability. Decentralization, she said, would ease the burden on the central government by allowing regional administrations to oversee services, cultural affairs, language policy, and internal security.

Ahmad also noted that a key obstacle to implementing the Abdi-Sharaa agreement lies in differing interpretations of the integration process. While the SDF seeks to join the Syrian army as a cohesive unit, Damascus insists on integrating fighters individually into existing military units.

In late July, Qutaiba Idlbi, director of American affairs at Syria’s foreign ministry, told Rudaw that a follow-up meeting between the Syrian government and the SDF was scheduled to take place in Paris "soon" to finalize the integration process.

However, the Syrian interim government abruptly canceled the Paris talks on Saturday, citing a recent unity conference in Hasaka - attended by more than 400 representatives from various Syrian minority groups - as a breach of the Abdi-Sharaa agreement.

The conference called for amendments to the transitional constitution, which critics say gives excessive powers to interim President Sharaa while sidelining non-majority communities.

A government source told state media that “this conference has dealt a blow to the ongoing negotiation effort. Accordingly, the government will not participate in any meetings scheduled in Paris.”

While the SDF delegation’s visit to Damascus suggests an easing of tensions, it remains unclear whether the canceled Paris talks will be rescheduled.