Turkiye backs Syria-SDF accord
Shafaq News – Ankara
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday described the March 10 understanding between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as a key step toward regional stability.
“The March 10 agreement is a decisive path for the region’s future, with Syria as its main beneficiary," Erdogan told reporters aboard his return flight from Turkmenistan, praising Damascus for adopting what he described as an inclusive vision that embraces Syria’s ethnic and religious diversity.
The SDF—controlling much of northeast Syria’s oil-rich territory—signed a political and security framework with Syria’s government in March to merge its military and civil structures. Brokered with international mediation, the agreement aims to unify command and reestablish state control after years of division. However, its implementation has stalled amid lingering mistrust and logistical disputes.
In October, Damascus reached a nationwide ceasefire with Kurdish forces following direct talks between Syrian transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi. Abdi told Agence France-Presse that both sides had reached a “preliminary deal” on integration and coordination mechanisms within Syria’s armed forces.
Turkiye, which waged a long insurgency against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), views the SDF as an extension of the PKK but has recently adjusted its stance amid improving ties with Damascus.
Read more: After Al-Assad: Can Al-Sharaa rebuild Syria before the peripheries break away?
