ISTANBUL

A Syrian government delegation arrived Sunday at Qamishli airport in the countryside of Hasakah province to begin procedures for taking over and operating the facility under a ceasefire and phased integration agreement with the terrorist organization YPG/SDF.

Alikhbariah TV cited the Hasakah media directorate as saying the delegation is headed by Hasakah’s internal security chief, Brig Gen Marwan al-Ali.

The delegation’s arrival is a “preparatory step” toward implementing provisions of the agreement reached between the Syrian government and the SDF, the report said.

Last Tuesday, Syrian security forces entered the city of Qamishli under a “comprehensive agreement” which includes a ceasefire and a phased integration deal with the SDF that was reached in late January to end the state of division in the country and lay the groundwork for a new phase of full integration.

Under the deal, the government will take control of the Rmeilan and al-Suwaydiyah oilfields, as well as the Qamishli airport.

On Jan. 16, President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree affirming that Syrian Kurds are an integral part of the Syrian people and their cultural and linguistic identity forms a core component of Syria’s unified national identity.

The Syrian Army launched an operation against the SDF on Jan. 16 in areas west of the Euphrates River. The operation later expanded east of the river with the participation of tribal forces, leading to most of the territories previously occupied by the group coming under government control.