ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria’s interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Monday received a high-level delegation from the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) in Damascus, with discussions focused on recognizing the Kurdish people and securing guarantees for their political and national rights amid the implementation of the latest security arrangement between Damascus and northeastern Syria (Rojava).
In a statement, the ENKS delegation, led by the Council’s head, Mohammed Ismail, said that “the meeting reflected the Council's growing political presence and its pivotal role in representing the Kurdish issue on the Syrian national stage.”
The meeting was notably held hours after Syrian security forces began deploying to the Kurdish cities of Hasaka and Kobane on Monday, with deployments in Qamishli scheduled for Tuesday, marking the operational phase of the internationally brokered agreement reached on Friday between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The agreement, reported by both the SDF and Syrian state media, outlines steps toward a permanent ceasefire and the gradual integration of the SDF’s military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state, while preserving local security arrangements in Kurdish-majority areas.
The ENKS stated noted that during the meeting with Shaibani, “Emphasis was placed on the need for constitutional recognition of the Kurdish people as a genuine partner in Syria, and on guaranteeing their national, political, and cultural rights in a manner that upholds the principle of true national partnership while preserving the distinct identity of the Kurdish people within a unified, pluralistic, and democratic Syria.