Politics Syria's new rulers reach agreement with Kurds
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reached an agreement with the country's new rulers on full integration into state institutions. According to the state news agency Sana, the agreement was signed by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander-in-chief Maslum Abdi. Three months after the change of power in Syria, the agreement with the Kurdish-led military alliance SDF in the north-east represents an important step in the Islamist transitional government's efforts to unite the country.
11.03.2025, 05:22
11.03.2025, 05:23
SDA
With the agreement, the Kurds are giving up their previous role as an independent military and administrative power in Syria. The agreement includes key points such as the political participation of all Syrians regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation and the recognition of the Kurdish community as a population group with full citizenship rights.
The Islamist transitional government is to gain control over civilian and military facilities in the north-east of the country, including border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, airports and oil and gas fields. A safe return of all displaced persons was also agreed.
Military operation in western Syria officially ended
"This is a great, great success for the transitional government, especially after the terrible events of the past few days," Charles Lister from the Middle East Institute in Washington told the Wall Street Journal. The interim government had previously brought the situation in the coastal areas in the west back under control following a wave of violence. The "military operation" against supporters of the ousted long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad had ended, the Ministry of Defense announced.
According to the latest information from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the bloodshed cost the lives of more than 1,500 people, most of whom were civilians. According to the activists, the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad also belongs, was particularly targeted. The UK-based monitoring center reported "massacres". The transitional government saw the violent outbreak of violence as an attempt by Assad loyalists to plunge the country into a new civil war.
Turning point for Syria?
The fact that the new rulers reached an agreement with the Kurdish-led military alliance SDF in the north-east at precisely this time could represent a turning point for developments in the Arab country. "For the international community, a potential resolution of the conflict between the SDF and Damascus is a huge step forward for the transition in Syria," Middle East expert Lister told the Wall Street Journal.
The north-east of Syria has so far been predominantly controlled by the SDF troops, who fought against the Islamic State terrorist militia with the support of the United States during the long-running civil war. The SDF has established its own self-government there. Turkey regards it as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), classifies it as a terrorist organization and is fighting against it.
The Kurdish leadership has been negotiating its future with the new rulers in Damascus in recent weeks. The agreement that has now been reached - provided it is implemented as agreed - should eliminate one of the most important challenges for the new government. Both sides emphasized the unity of the country and, according to their own statements, reject a division of Syria.
