Abdi and Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a landmark agreement on March 10 to integrate the SDF into the Syrian state apparatus. The agreement recognizes the Kurds as an integral part of Syria, includes a countrywide ceasefire, and stipulates the return of displaced Syrians to their hometowns.
“We are awaiting an upcoming meeting between the US Envoy Thomas Barrack and General Mazloum Abdi. I believe that after this meeting, the discussions will accelerate and we will enter the phase of implementing the [SDF-Damascus] agreement,” Ali Rahmun, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) representative in Damascus, told Rudaw.
The SDC serves as the political wing of the Kurdish-led and US-backed SDF, the de facto army of Rojava.
Rahmun said that while it was agreed to form delegations between Rojava and Damascus to implement the agreement, “disputes between the current [Damascus] authorities” have delayed practical steps.
In June, a Rojava delegation met with a Syrian government-appointed committee to finalize the Abdi-Sharaa agreement’s implementation. The Rojava administration described the meeting as “positive and constructive,” with a focus on resolving exam-related issues and safeguarding students’ rights and the integrity of the education system.
Kurds in Rojava, like other minorities in Syria, are concerned about the centralization of power and reliance on Islamic jurisprudence in the transitional constitution that has been adopted by the interim government in Damascus.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to form an “inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity,” but has faced domestic and international criticism that he has marginalized minority communities.