ISTANBUL

Syria's Foreign Ministry said Sunday night that the ceasefire and full integration agreement between the government and the SDF represents a pivotal step toward unifying state institutions, restoring sovereignty and launching a comprehensive national recovery process.

A ministry statement said Syria’s “new republic” was founded on the principle of citizenship, stressing that the unity and cohesion of the Syrian people, in all their components, form the cornerstone of lasting stability. It described Syria’s social diversity as a source of strength rather than division.

The state is moving forward with practical steps to consolidate institutional unity and reassert state authority across the country, including with the institutional and military integration of the SDF into state structures, it added.

These arrangements, said the statement, are designed to ensure security and stability, prevent institutional vacuums and affirm the state’s exclusive authority to use force within the framework of law.

As part of this approach, the ministry cited a decree that President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued on Friday, recognizing the cultural and linguistic rights of Syrian Kurds and addressing long-standing civil and legal issues, including the status of stateless residents and unresolved property issues. The decree, it said, reflects a political and legal commitment to building an inclusive state that guarantees rights without discrimination.

According to the statement, the understandings reached Sunday include an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts and contact lines, as well as the handover of eastern Deir ez-Zor and northeastern Raqqa provinces to full administrative and military control of the Syrian government.

This transfer also includes state takeover of civilian institutions and facilities, the formal retention of current employees within relevant ministries, and the integration of civilian institutions in Hasakah province into the state’s administrative framework.

The Syrian state, the ministry noted, underlines that the agreement embodies a firm commitment to dialogue, rational solutions and consensus-based approaches that protect dignity, rights and civil peace, while laying the foundation for a responsible national partnership and the prevention of bloodshed.

It described the deal as a “decisive milestone,” opening a new phase defined by unified institutions, stabilized security and a comprehensive national path toward recovery and reconstruction.

The ministry also called on the international community to support the agreement, describing it as a genuine opportunity to strengthen local security, promote regional stability and contribute to economic recovery and shared interests in a manner befitting the sacrifices and resilience of Syrians.

The deal follows a military operation launched by the Syrian Army that resulted in the recapture of large areas in eastern and northeastern Syria, after repeated violations by the SDF of agreements signed with the government about a year ago and its failure to implement their provisions.

The SDF is dominated by the YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.