Director of the Americas at Syria’s Foreign Ministry tells Anadolu in exclusive interview:

•  ‘(Türkiye’s) support continues, and it will allow Syria not just to recover economically and serve its people, but also contribute to Türkiye’s strength and Syria’s unity’
• ‘It’s clear that there are differing opinions within the SDF leadership. While some genuinely want to implement the agreement, others are looking for excuses to delay or obstruct it’
• Integration of loyalists of the ousted Assad regime into the SDF ‘would drag the region into another conflict’
• 'The US has made it clear it has no essential partner in the coming period except the Syrian government’-
• ‘We don’t want to drag Syrians into another war with anyone. So, we seek to solve all challenges through dialogue and political solutions’- Kurdish problems ‘should be addressed politically, not by creating new legal frameworks or alternative governance structures’

DAMASCUS / ISTANBUL 

The Syrian government is hopeful that "rational voices" within the YPG/PKK-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the broader Kurdish groups will take the lead in implementing an agreement with Damascus to integrate the SDF into state institutions, a senior official said Wednesday.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Qutaiba Idlbi, director of the Americas at the Syrian Foreign Ministry, underlined the importance of implementing the March 10 deal, inked by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and a senior SDF ringleader.

On March 10, the Syrian presidency announced the signing of an agreement for the integration of SDF into state institutions, reaffirming the country's territorial unity and rejecting any attempts at division.

“We hope that rational voices within the SDF and the broader Kurdish groups will push for implementing the agreement, which serves everyone’s interests -- not just the Syrian government, but also the Syrian people as a whole, and especially the Kurdish communities in northeastern Syria,” he said.

“We, in the Syrian government, are committed to implementing the agreement fully before the end of the year,” Idlbi said.

He said that last week’s talks held in Paris between Syria, the US, and France primarily focused on ways to implement the agreement and accelerate its implementation.   

Co-existence

Idlbi called Syrian government proposals for the northeastern region “quite practical” as they recognize “the realities on the ground, including the links between the SDF and local Kurdish communities.”

“But we also emphasize that the SDF does not represent the entire population of northeastern Syria,” he said.

“The Kurdish presence in Syria is not new,” Idlbi stressed.

Himself a Syrian Kurd, Idlbi said the Kurds “have been here in Syria for hundreds of years. For generations, millions of Kurds have lived here and had a unique experience.”

He called for taking lessons from “this centuries-long experience – how to coexist, preserve our Kurdish identity, and at the same time fully belong to the broader Syrian identity.”   

Lack of trust

While acknowledging that Kurdish communities have faced problems under the Assad regime, Idlbi stressed that these problems “should be addressed politically, not by creating new legal frameworks or alternative governance structures, which would only lead to more problems for Syria and the region.”

These problems, he said, can easily be addressed under Syrian law, such as teaching the Kurdish language and adding the Kurdish culture to the curriculum.

“Kurdish communities could introduce Kurdish language education, just as Turkmen communities could introduce education in Turkish,” he said.

The Syrian diplomat stated that a lack of trust-building mechanisms has hindered serious discussions between the government and the SDF on how to implement the agreed-upon clauses.

Another key issue is “the absence of unified decision-making within the SDF,” Idlbi added.

“It’s clear that there are differing opinions within the SDF leadership. While some genuinely want to implement the agreement, others are looking for excuses to delay or obstruct it.”   

Integration model

Idlbi warned that the integration of loyalists of the ousted Assad regime into the SDF “would drag the region into another conflict,” citing the recent unrest in Latakia and Suwayda.

Idlbi blamed the SDF for failing to implement its obligations under the March 10 agreement, including the withdrawal of its forces from the agreed areas, as the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo, or handing over the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River to the Syrian government to resume its operations and cease hostilities in its vicinity.

“This poses a major obstacle because it makes it difficult for the Syrian government to claim progress when the situation on the ground remains unchanged -- or, as I mentioned, has even regressed.”

Idlbi said the government aspires to turn the integration process in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria into a model that “could encourage similar steps in other parts of northeast Syria.”

It is “one of the easiest regions to start with” due to the strong presence of the Syrian government, he added.    

Full integration

Regarding some media reports about alternatives to the signed agreement with the SDF to maintain the group’s presence within the Syrian army, Idlbi stressed that “the March 10 agreement is very clear: integration means full integration.”

“Syria can’t move forward with a state within a state nor an army within an army. We don’t want a Hezbollah-style parallel state. That model will not work.”

“The doors of the civil and military institutions are open for anyone who wants to serve their country,” he said.

“Anyone who wants to protect their community and live in safety must work within state institutions. That’s the only guarantee of security and prosperity in Syria’s transition and recovery.”

On the repeated Israeli assaults on Damascus, the Syrian diplomat said that the US understands well that continued Israeli attacks could destabilize the entire region, calling for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the territories it occupied after the Assad regime’s fall in December 2024.

“If the Syrian government can’t maintain security in the region and eliminate terror groups, not only Daesh/ISIS but also Iranian militias, this would mean Iran’s return to Syria, a move that would harm both Syria and the region.”

“Washington understands this and is pushing all sides, including Israel, to stop this policy in Syria,” Idlbi said.

“Syria is a key to regional stability. So working with the Syrian government and supporting its stability is the only way to ensure the region’s security.”

Idlbi called a defense budget proposal from the Pentagon to fund the SDF and its offshoots “a technical continuation of last year’s policy.”

There is “a complete shift in the US approach towards SDF and efforts to combat Daesh/ISIS,” he said.

“The US has made it clear it has no essential partner in the coming period except the Syrian government,” he added.   

Türkiye’s role

Idlbi said the Syrian government is open to economic partnerships with all international actors, underlining the urgent need to lift the Assad-era sanctions on Syria.

He appreciated Türkiye’s role and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to push the US to lift sanctions on Syria.

“(Türkiye’s) support continues, and it will allow Syria not just to recover economically and serve its people but also contribute to Türkiye’s strength and Syria’s unity.”

“We don’t want to drag Syrians into another war with anyone. So we seek to solve all challenges -- internal and external -- through dialogue and political solutions, while holding firm to Syria’s independence, territorial integrity, and national pride.”

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new administration led by Sharaa was formed in January.