A delegation representing the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held a meeting on Wednesday with the Syrian government in the capital, Damascus.
The delegation included General Mazloum Abdi, the SDF’s top commander; Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration; and two senior members of the administration, Foza Youssef and Abdul Hamid al-Mihbash.
The meeting took place at the Tishreen Palace in Damascus and brought together representatives of North and East Syria and Syrian President Ahmed Shar’a. Also in attendance were Thomas Barack, the U.S. Special Envoy to Syria, and Jean-Baptiste Vivre, a representative of the French government, reflecting international interest in the talks.
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According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), discussions focused on four key issues: the future structure of the Syrian state, relations between the central government and the Autonomous Administration, economic matters, and the future of military forces in the region.
AFP added that the meeting also included a closed-door trilateral session between President Shar’a, General Abdi, and U.S. Envoy Barak, highlighting Washington’s continued involvement in Syria’s complex political landscape.
Meanwhile, the Kurdish broadcaster Rudaw reported that a high-level Turkish delegation arrived in Damascus at the same time, though no details were released about the nature of their visit, a development likely to draw further regional attention given Turkey’s opposition to Kurdish self-rule near its borders.
A senior Kurdish source told +963 that talks between the SDF delegation and the Syrian government are expected to continue for some time. Members of the Autonomous Administration’s delegation described the meeting as ‘positive,’ with further rounds of negotiations planned in the coming period, according to Hawar News Agency.
Syria’s official news agency SANA confirmed that President Shar’a also met with the U.S. envoy and his delegation at the Presidential Palace.
Last June, another delegation from the Autonomous Administration traveled to Damascus to negotiate details of an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government. That group included Foza Youssef, Abdul Hamid al-Mihbash, Ahmed Youssef, Sanharib Barsoum, Sodar Haji, Maryam Ibrahim, and Yasser Suleiman.
At the time, Brigadier General Ziad Al-Ayesh, a member of the Syrian government’s committee tasked with finalizing the agreement, described the talks as positive and underlined both sides’ mutual commitment to national interests, according to SANA.
