SDF’s Abdi: open to dialogue with Damascus over decentralization

Shafaq News/ On Friday, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, vowed that any integration of the SDF into the Syrian military must come as part of a comprehensive political agreement based on decentralization within a mutually accepted national framework.

In an interview with Shams TV, Abdi said such a process could take years, rejecting what he described as quick or superficial solutions that fail to address the core of the Kurdish issue.

“We are committed to preserving our achievements and will not accept any arrangements that take us back to square one,” Abdi said.

While acknowledging that Kurds have faced decades of marginalization, Abdi affirmed that they remain open to dialogue with Damascus. He stressed that the SDF is a fundamental part of Syria’s future and added, “We will not accept a repeat of the marginalization we have endured.”

Earlier in March, Abdi and Syria's transitional President, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, reached anagreementto integrate the SDF into the country’s official military structure, transferring all its territories, border crossings, and oil fields while rejecting any calls for division.

Abdi also revealed that the SDF maintains direct communication with Turkiye and expressed openness to improving relations, including through a potential meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Although he confirmed no current plans to meet Erdogan, Abdi clarified, “I am not opposed... We are not in a state of war with Turkiye.”

Ankara has long considered the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the core component of the SDF, indistinguishable from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which recently announced its dissolution after four decades of armed conflict with Turkiye.