Latest news with #MazloumAbdi
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Syrian Kurdish commander says group in direct contact with Turkey, open to Israel ties
"We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Turkey, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed," the commander said. The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Turkey and that he would be open to improving ties, including by meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The public comments represented a significant diplomatic overture by Mazloum Abdi, whose Syrian Democratic Forces fought Turkish troops and Ankara-backed Syrian rebels during Syria's 14-year civil war. Abdi denied accusations that the SDF was in contact with Israel. "People have accused us of this. In this interview, I am saying publicly that we have no ties with Israel," he said. But he said his group supported good ties with Syria's neighbors. When asked if that included Israel, Abdi responded, "with everyone." Turkey has said the main Kurdish group at the core of the SDF is indistinguishable from the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which decided earlier this month to disband after 40 years of conflict with Turkey. Abdi told regional broadcaster Shams TV in an interview aired on Friday that his group was in touch with Turkey, without saying how long the communication channels had been open. "We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Turkey, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed," Abdi said. There was no immediate comment from Turkey on Abdi's remarks. He noted his forces and Turkish fighters "fought long wars against each other" but that a temporary truce had brought a halt to those clashes for the last two months. Abdi said he hoped the truce could become permanent. When asked whether he was planning to meet Erdogan, Abdi said he had no current plans to do so but "I am not opposed... We are not in a state of war with Turkey and in the future, ties could be developed between us. We're open to this." The Al-Monitor news website reported on Friday that Turkey had proposed a meeting between Abdi and a top Turkish official, possibly Turkey's foreign minister or its intelligence chief. A Turkish diplomatic source denied the report, saying "the claims about Turkey and our country's authorities" in the story were "not true," without elaborating. In December, Turkey and the SDF agreed on a US-mediated ceasefire after fighting broke out as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Abdi in March signed a deal with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to incorporate the semi-autonomous administration of northeast Syria into the main state institutions based in Damascus. On Thursday, Erdogan accused the SDF of "stalling" implementation of that deal.
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
SDF denies Erdogan meeting, signals openness to dialogue
Shafaq News/ The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied on Saturday reports that its commander Mazloum Abdi had been offered a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while reaffirming limited indirect contacts and a willingness to engage in talks under the right conditions. The statement rejected claims by regional sources to Al-Monitor that Turkish officials had proposed such a meeting. 'The information is false. Neither our leadership nor any delegation from northern and eastern Syria in meetings with Damascus has received an offer for talks with the Turkish side from any party,' the SDF said. The SDF and Turkiye have long been on opposite sides of Syria's fragmented war and peace efforts. The SDF—primarily made up of Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG)—was Washington's main ground partner in the fight against ISIS. It controls a vast swath of northern and eastern Syria, including areas rich in oil, water, and agricultural resources. Turkiye, meanwhile, sees the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara and its Western allies classify as a terrorist organization. Turkiye fears the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region on its southern border could embolden separatist sentiments among its own Kurdish population. Abdi confirmed in a televised interview earlier today that direct and indirect communication channels exist between the SDF and Turkiye. He revealed that a temporary ceasefire has been in place between the two sides for about two months—signaling a rare lull in cross-border clashes. While reaffirming that the SDF is not at war with Turkiye, Abdi stated he would be willing to meet Erdogan if such talks 'served regional stability and recognized the rights of Syria's diverse communities.' Since 2016, Turkiye has launched four major incursions into northern Syria, aiming to push back SDF fighters and create a buffer zone. These offensives have displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and left a patchwork of Turkish-controlled enclaves along the border. The SDF, meanwhile, administers the self-declared Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). It has been engaged in delicate balancing acts—holding talks
Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Kurdish delegation heads to Damascus for talks
DAMASCUS: A delegation from northeast Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish administration was headed to Damascus on Saturday for talks on implementing a March deal to integrate Kurdish institutions into the state, a member of the delegation said. Under the agreement signed by Syria's interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurds are to integrate their civil and military institutions into the national government. The deal includes all border crossings, oil and gas fields, and a regional airport. A member of the Kurdish delegation said that 'a delegation from the autonomous administration is on the way to Damascus to discuss' details of the March deal. Despite the accord, the Kurds have criticized a constitutional declaration announced by the new authorities, who took power after ousting Bashar Assad in December, and said the new government failed to reflect the Syrian Arab Republic's diversity. Last month, Syrian Kurdish parties adopted a joint vision of a 'decentralized democratic state,' a move rejected by Damascus, which warned against attempts at separatism or federalism by the minority group. The March agreement states that the Kurds are an 'essential component of the Syrian state,' guaranteeing the 'right to citizenship and all ... constitutional rights.' Syria's Kurds suffered marginalization and repression under Assad's rule, being deprived of the right to speak their language and celebrate their holidays and, in many cases, of Syrian nationality. Earlier this month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani warned that delaying the implementation of the deal would 'prolong the chaos' in the country. In an interview broadcast by Shams TV, based in Irbil in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, SDF chief Abdi said that 'we are committed to what was agreed with Damascus and we are currently working on implementing this agreement.' He emphasized the need for a 'decentralized Syria where all its components live with their full rights and nobody is excluded.' But he accused Syria's new authorities of wanting centralization and of 'not being ready for everyone to live in Syria.' Kurdish-led forces took control of much of Syria's northeast, including its oil fields, during the country's civil war and the Daesh insurgency. With support from a US-led international coalition, the Kurdish-led SDF played a key role in Daesh's territorial defeat in Syria in 2019. Abdi said all Syrians should benefit from Syria's oil wealth but said the Kurds wanted 'an autonomous administration to govern locally and for the people of the area to manage security and political institutions.'
LBCI
2 days ago
- General
- LBCI
Syrian Kurdish commander in touch with Turkey, open to meeting Erdogan
The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Turkey and that he would be open to improving ties, including by meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The public comments represented a significant diplomatic overture by Mazloum Abdi, whose Syrian Democratic Forces fought Turkish troops and Ankara-backed Syrian rebels during Syria's 14-year civil war. Reuters
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syrian Kurdish Commander in Touch with Türkiye, Open to Meeting Erdogan
The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Türkiye and that he would be open to improving ties, including by meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The public comments represented a significant diplomatic overture by Mazloum Abdi, whose Syrian Democratic Forces fought Turkish troops and Ankara-backed Syrian opposition during Syria's 14-year civil war. Türkiye has said the main Kurdish group at the core of the SDF is indistinguishable from the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which decided earlier this month to disband after 40 years of conflict with Türkiye. Abdi told regional broadcaster Shams TV in an interview aired on Friday that his group was in touch with Türkiye, without saying how long the communication channels had been open. "We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Türkiye, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed," Abdi said. There was no immediate comment from Türkiye on Abdi's remarks, according to Reuters. He noted his forces and Turkish fighters "fought long wars against each other" but that a temporary truce had brought a halt to those clashes for the last two months. Abdi said he hoped the truce could become permanent. When asked whether he was planning to meet Erdogan, Abdi said he had no current plans to do so but "I am not opposed... We are not in a state of war with Türkiye and in the future, ties could be developed between us. We're open to this." The Al-Monitor news website reported on Friday that Türkiye had proposed a meeting between Abdi and a top Turkish official, possibly Türkiye's foreign minister or its intelligence chief. A Turkish diplomatic source denied the report, saying "the claims about Türkiye and our country's authorities" in the story were "not true", without elaborating. In December, Türkiye and the SDF agreed on a US-mediated ceasefire after fighting broke out as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Abdi in March signed a deal with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to incorporate the semi-autonomous administration of northeast Syria into the main state institutions based in Damascus. On Thursday, Erdogan accused the SDF of "stalling" implementation of that deal. In the interview, Abdi denied accusations that the SDF was in contact with Israel. "People have accused us of this. In this interview, I am saying publicly that we have no ties with Israel," he said. But he said his group supported good ties with Syria's neighbours. When asked if that included Israel, Abdi responded, "with everyone."
