Damascus is pressing ahead with steps to implement its agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on the gradual integration of its fighters, redeployment in northeastern Syria, and the return of key facilities to state control.
The deal is receiving regional and international support and is being framed as an opportunity to integrate Syria’s Kurds into state institutions and help build a “new Syria.”
On Friday, a delegation from the Syrian Ministry of Defense was in Hasakah to discuss practical measures for incorporating SDF personnel into the national military, said the ministry’s Media and Communications Directorate.
The move is in line with the agreement announced on Jan. 29 between the Syrian government and the SDF. The accord includes a ceasefire, the gradual integration of Kurdish military and administrative structures into state institutions, and the restoration of government control over vital installations in the province.
Interior Ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba said the deployment of Internal Security Forces in Qamishli, in northeastern Syria, is proceeding under a clear timeline and operational plan to complete the agreement’s implementation.
This includes taking over and managing strategic facilities such as border crossings, Qamishli International Airport, and oil fields, with the aim of reactivating them “in service of the Syrian people,” he said in statements carried by state television Al-Ikhbariya.
Al-Baba added that the deployment is being carried out “in coordination with the other side in the city,” referring to the SDF, following a similar security deployment in Hasakah.
The agreement is also expected to address the issue of foreign fighters and to integrate the local Kurdish internal security force, known as the Asayish, into the Interior Ministry.
Al-Baba stressed that the ministry welcomes “all Syrian national cadres who serve the people.”
French support
French diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot informed SDF commander Mazloum Abdi that Paris wants to the January 29 agreement implemented “clause by clause” over the long term.
Barrot, who visited Iraq, Syria and Lebanon this week, described the deal as a “historic opportunity” for Syria’s Kurds to take part in building a new Syria alongside other components of society, the sources said.
The FM also discussed developments in Syria with leaders of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, acknowledging their role in securing the ceasefire between Damascus and the SDF and agreeing to maintain close coordination to ensure the agreement’s success.
On Friday, Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani met with Abdi and urged both the Syrian government and SDF to commit to the agreement.
A statement from Barzani’s office said the talks focused on conditions in northeastern Syria and underlined coordination among all parties to safeguard Kurdish rights within the country’s constitutional framework.
