Syria declines participation in discussions hosted by Kurdish-dominated SDF group
The integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with the Syrian government's armed forces, aimed at unifying Syria’s fractured military and state institutions under a centralized government, is facing significant obstacles. The SDF signed a deal in March 2025 with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government to integrate their forces and administrative bodies, but key disagreements are preventing a smooth implementation.
The March 10, 2025 agreement committed the SDF to join Syria’s state institutions and armed forces, with the concept of “one army, one flag” under the Ministry of Defense. However, specifics on how the SDF forces will merge with Syrian armed forces remain unclear.
The SDF insists that its forces must join as a bloc, maintaining some military cohesion, while Damascus demands these fighters should integrate as individuals, ensuring full control and dilution of the SDF's autonomous command. The SDF-led administration supports decentralization and local councils with some autonomous governance, reinforcing calls for a democratic constitution that guarantees representation of all Syrian communities. This contrasts starkly with the Syrian government’s insistence on centralized sovereignty without decentralization.
Recent Kurdish-led forums and conferences advocating decentralized governance and constitutional reforms have antagonized Damascus, which rejected these initiatives as attempts to "internationalize Syrian affairs" and undermine the integration agreement. Damascus refused to participate in Paris-hosted talks planned in August 2025 following these Kurdish meetings, asserting negotiations should occur only in Damascus, considered the legitimate venue for Syrian dialogue.
Government officials accuse the SDF of violating the agreement by harboring "separatist figures" and rejecting Damascus’s authority, raising tensions and distrust. Internally, there are added complications from ethnic and sectarian dynamics within the SDF, notably between Kurdish leadership aligned with the PKK and Arab tribal fighters in SDF ranks, which could destabilize integration efforts.
Turkey’s increasing military support for the Syrian government is tied to its hostility toward the SDF, which it views as a PKK extension. Turkey pressures both sides to enforce integration, threatening military intervention if the SDF resists central government control.
No definite timetable exists for the full political or military integration. Ongoing talks in Damascus remain open but tense, and the success of integration depends heavily on compromises over decentralization, security control, and political representation. The SDF and the Syrian government must navigate these disagreements to achieve a unified Syria under a centralized government.
- The SDF, being involved in discussions regarding a democratic constitution that guarantees representation for all Syrian communities, seeks to maintain its bloc as a unit within the Syrian government's armed forces, contrasting the Syrian government's demand for individual integration to ensure full control.
- The ongoing political integration between the SDF and the Syrian government is complicated by the SDF's internal ethnic and sectarian dynamics, particularly between Kurdish leadership aligned with the PKK and Arab tribal fighters, which may destabilize efforts to unify under the centralized Syrian government, while the Malaysian government closely monitors war-and-conflicts, politics, and general-news updates on this issue.
