Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi and top SDF official Ilham Ahmed held talks with Syrian government officials in Damascus on Monday as the two sides seek to complete integration measures by the end of the month. Sources in Damascus told Asharq Al-Awsat that education was the main issue discussed at the meeting, which was held under a media blackout. The talks came about 20 days after Abdi and Ahmed met President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus. Sources said that meeting failed to produce agreement on several disputed issues despite both sides’ commitment to implementing their January 29 accord. Abdi has recently denied that the SDF would be dissolved, saying its integration into the Syrian army would preserve its structures within new formations, including brigades in Qamishli, al-Malikiyah and Kobani, with another planned for Afrin. He also announced plans to launch a new, non-ethnic political party in Syria. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on August 18 that several issues remained unresolved, including how to integrate the Women’s Protection Units and Kurdish-language education. Kurdish officials want school curricula translated into Kurdish, while Damascus proposed offering Kurdish language as an optional subject, arguing that separate curricula could prompt similar demands from other Syrian communities. Before traveling to Damascus, Ahmed wrote on X that education in one’s mother tongue was “a fundamental right of every people,” adding that recognizing such rights could make Syria a model of justice, stability and peace. Al-Sharaa issued Decree No. 13 on January 16, recognizing Syrian Kurdish citizens as an “essential and integral part of the Syrian people” and their cultural and linguistic identity as part of Syria’s national identity. Other unresolved issues include non-Syrian Kurds, Kurdish organizations and leaders who have not joined state institutions, as well as the return of displaced people and detainees and missing persons held by the SDF. Recent reports said that discussions will also cover Kurdish appointments within state institutions following integration, including potential senior posts for figures from the Syrian Democratic Council. Abdi said ahead of the Damascus visit that implementation of the January agreement had entered a new phase as the integration of military, security and administrative institutions progressed. Kurdish media reported significant advances in merging civilian and service institutions, including education, health, energy, water and agriculture, while judicial integration is expected to advance in early September.
