A high-ranking official within the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has issued a cautionary statement regarding the implications arising from the recent Astana meetings.
These meetings focused on deliberating a roadmap aimed at establishing normalized relations between Türkiye and the Syrian government.
According to the official, these outcomes carry substantial risks for the de-escalation zones in Syria, as they encompass the activation of military, security, and intelligence components between Ankara and Damascus.
This comes at a time the “Syrian Democratic Council,” the political body of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), stressed the importance of active involvement by Arab countries in finding a comprehensive political solution in Syria, in line with international resolutions.
The Council emphasized the necessity for Arab openness towards the Damascus government to align with “the aspirations of the Syrian people to achieve their demands for change and democratic transition.”
The co-chair of the Department of External Relations in the AANES, Bedran Ciya Kurd, affirmed that the outcomes of the recent Astana meeting have outlined a roadmap for cooperation and coordination between Damascus and Ankara on various levels.
Ciya Kurd further noted that the outcomes “guarantee the interests of all parties involved in the process, sharing influence among them, and embarking on actions against national interests.”
“This track has entered a new and dangerous phase aimed at repairing bilateral relations between Türkiye and the Syrian regime, at the expense of the Syrian people's interests,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“It involves conducting mutual deals and working on security and intelligence issues to undermine stability in the established de-escalation zones,” explained Ciya Kurd.
Ciya Kurd’s remarks reflect the concerns of Syrian Kurds that the normalization between Ankara and Damascus may come at their expense.
The Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, accuses the Kurds of having separatist tendencies, while Türkiye accuses them of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization.
