SDF-Damascus agreement remains in force despite year-end timeline

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The landmark March 10 agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus remains intact despite references to the end of the year as a target for implementation, which officials stress is not a binding deadline.

In a statement posted on X, the North and East Syria Communication (Nescomm) said the agreement “includes a clause stating that the executive committees seek to complete implementation by the end of the year,” clarifying that this reflects a general timeline rather than a fixed or enforceable deadline.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed the landmark agreement with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on March 10. The deal aims to integrate the civil and military institutions of Rojava into centralized state authority and establish a nationwide ceasefire.

“The use of the word seek indicates flexibility in the timeframe,” the statement said. “It is meant to encourage progress and maintain momentum, not to impose a rigid cutoff or imply that the agreement expires at year’s end.”

The clarification comes as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned on Thursday that delays in implementing the deal are testing Ankara’s patience.

“We hope that issues are resolved through dialogue, negotiation, and peaceful means. We do not want to be forced to resort to military options again,” he said.

Although talks on implementing the accord have continued since March, disagreements persist over how the SDF should be integrated. Kurdish negotiators favor incorporating the force as a unified bloc, while the Syrian government prefers integrating fighters individually into regular army units.

“The agreement remains in effect, and its provisions continue to serve as an essential framework for stability, institutional integration, and a broader national partnership,” the statement said.

It added that maintaining commitment to the process “allows room for meaningful political progress and prevents misinterpretation or premature conclusions about the status of the agreement.”

The SDF is the de facto military force in Rojava and the primary ground partner of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.