ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday received Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Elham Ahmad a leading figure from the administration of northeast Syria (Rojava) in Damascus, to discuss the completion of the integration process of Kurdish-led forces and institutions under the Syrian state, according to state media.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that Sharaa held a meeting with Abdi and Ahmad, in the presence of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and the presidential envoy responsible for implementing the January 29 agreement with the SDF, Ziad al-Ayesh, where “discussions centered on completing the integration process into state institutions.”
The January 29 agreement between Damascus and the SDF, brokered with significant US mediation, followed a sharp military escalation in mid-January in which Syrian government forces and affiliated armed groups seized territory in eastern Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province.
The SDF, which functions as the de facto military force in Rojava and is a key on-the-ground partner of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, had maintained control of these areas since liberating them from ISIS in order to prevent the group’s resurgence.
The 14-point agreement establishes a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and calls for the withdrawal of SDF forces from major urban centers such as the Kurdish-majority Hasaka and Qamishli cities to designated military bases.
In return, the Damascus government has agreed to a “partnership framework” that includes the appointment of local officials, including a governor for Hasaka nominated by the SDF, while the police chief is appointed by Damascus.