ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Syrian Kurdish forces’ quick integration into Syria would help accelerate the country’s development and promote national unity, in remarks shared by his office Tuesday.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls large swathes of Syria’s oil-rich northeast, signed an agreement with the new Syrian authorities in March to merge their civil and military institutions though the terms of the deal were never implemented.
Last week, Syria announced a comprehensive ceasefire with the Kurdish forces after talks between President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi that followed deadly clashes in the northern city of Aleppo.
In an interview with AFP, Abdi said he had reached a “preliminary agreement” with Damascus on the integration of his troops into Syria’s military and security forces.
Erdogan, whose government forged close ties with Syria’s new rulers, said the integration should happen as soon as possible.
