Syrian Army unity could end divisions, SDF negotiator says

Shafaq News – Damascus

Integrating the Syrian army with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) would mark a “historic turning point,” negotiator Fawza Youssef said on Tuesday.

In a televised interview, Youssef said the move would help build a national army “free of sectarian and ethnic divisions,” stressing that political and economic stability in Syria cannot be achieved without a “fair democratic solution.”

“Peace is a prerequisite for any reconstruction effort, and that, too, can only come through a comprehensive national agreement,” she added.

Her remarks followed meetings in Damascus where both sides discussed forming a joint military committee and integrating SDF internal security forces into the Interior Ministry.

Talks have also focused on reorganizing SDF units into three corps under a unified command, in line with the March 10 agreement signed between transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi.

That accord envisions integrating SDF-held territories into Syrian state institutions while maintaining limited autonomy. For Damascus, the process strengthens central authority; for the SDF — which controls about a quarter of the country, including most of its oil-rich northeast — it offers recognition and stability, according to officials from both sides.