Damascus says no ‘tangible’ progress on integrating Rojava institutions into state

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian foreign ministry on Friday said that “no tangible results” have been achieved toward integrating northeast Syria (Rojava) institutions into state structures, raising “doubts” about commitments made under the landmark March agreement, state media reported.

“Talk about integrating northeastern Syria's institutions within state institutions has remained within the framework of theoretical statements without executive steps or clear timelines, which raises doubts about the seriousness of commitment to the March 10 agreement,” the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited the source as saying.

The comments came after SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi said on Thursday that the group had “reached a mutual understanding” with Syria’s transitional government regarding the future of the SDF and the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava. Abdi stressed that a new Syria should adopt decentralization, according to the pro-SDF Rojava TV.

Despite this, the foreign ministry source said dialogue has not produced “tangible results,” adding that “it appears this discourse is being used for media purposes and to absorb political pressures, amid actual stagnation.”

The source added that claims of understanding are contradicted by the continued presence of armed groups “outside the framework of the Syrian Army with independent leaderships and external links.”

The statement also criticized SDF control over border crossings and “using them as a bargaining chip.”

Rojava and other SDF-held areas are rich in agricultural land and natural resources, including most of Syria’s oil fields, which are controlled by Kurdish-led forces. The United States has assisted in guarding some of these sites.

Abdi has said that all subsurface natural resources belong to all Syrians.

“Continuous statements from the SDF leadership that oil belongs to all Syrians lose credibility as long as it is not managed within state institutions and its revenues do not enter the general budget,” the foreign ministry source said.

Abdi and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a landmark agreement on March 10 to place civil and military institutions in northeast Syria (Rojava) under centralized state authority and to establish a nationwide ceasefire.

Syrian officials have recently said that the deal carries a year-end deadline. Last week, the Rojava administration’s communication page on X, North and East Syria Communication (Nescomm), clarified that while the deal “includes a clause stating that the executive committees seek to complete implementation by the end of the year,” this phrasing “reflects a general timeline rather than a fixed or binding deadline.”

Some aspects of the March agreement have been implemented, including prisoner exchanges. However, disagreements remain over key issues, particularly governance. Damascus favors a centralized system, while Kurds and other minorities have called for decentralization or federalism.

Talks to implement the accord have since been ongoing, but the two sides remain divided over how the SDF should be integrated. While Kurdish negotiators favor incorporating the forces as a unified bloc, the Syrian side prefers absorbing SDF fighters individually into regular army units.


Updated at 2:20 pm.