Latest news with #SyrianDemocraticForces
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Kurdish delegation heads to Damascus for talks: Kurdish source
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. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Under the agreement signed by Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), 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, requesting anonymity in order to brief the media, told AFP 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 criticised a constitutional declaration announced by the new authorities, who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, and said the new government failed to reflect Syria's diversity. Last month, Syrian Kurdish parties adopted a joint vision of a "decentralised 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 marginalisation 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. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In an interview broadcast Friday by Shams TV, based in Arbil 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 emphasised the need for a "decentralised Syria where all its components live with their full rights and nobody is excluded". But he accused Syria's new authorities of wanting centralisation 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 Islamic State group insurgency. With support from a US-led international coalition, the Kurdish-led SDF played a key role in the jihadist group'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
5 hours 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
Deccan Herald
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Syrian Kurdish commander in touch with Turkey, open to meeting 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.
Shafaq News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
SDF's Abdi: open to dialogue with Damascus over decentralization
Shafaq News/ On Friday, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, vowed that any integration of the SDF into the Syrian military must come as part of a comprehensive political agreement based on decentralization within a mutually accepted national framework. In an interview with Shams TV, Abdi said such a process could take years, rejecting what he described as quick or superficial solutions that fail to address the core of the Kurdish issue. 'We are committed to preserving our achievements and will not accept any arrangements that take us back to square one,' Abdi said. While acknowledging that Kurds have faced decades of marginalization, Abdi affirmed that they remain open to dialogue with Damascus. He stressed that the SDF is a fundamental part of Syria's future and added, 'We will not accept a repeat of the marginalization we have endured.' Earlier in March, Abdi and Syria's transitional President, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, reached an agreement to integrate the SDF into the country's official military structure, transferring all its territories, border crossings, and oil fields while rejecting any calls for division.
Reuters
a day ago
- General
- Reuters
Syrian Kurdish commander says group in direct contact with Turkey
CAIRO, May 30 (Reuters) - The head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said on Friday that the group is in direct contact with Turkey and is not opposed to meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. In December, Turkey and the SDF agreed on a U.S. mediated ceasefire after fighting that broke out as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and overthrew the rule of Bashar al-Assad.
