Senior Syrian Kurdish Official Visits Damascus Amid Renewed Tensions
Ahmed is scheduled to meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at a time when tensions have risen over the recent “Unity of Components” conference held in Hasakah.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of the External Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), has arrived in Damascus on Monday for talks with senior Syrian government officials, according to Syrian media.
Ahmed is scheduled to meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at a time when tensions have risen over the recent “Unity of Components” conference held in Hasakah.
On Aug. 8, 2025, the conference brought together Kurds, Alawites, Druze, and other Syrian communities, issuing a joint statement calling for a new democratic constitution that guarantees broad rights and fair political participation for all components of the country. The declaration also advocated a decentralized system that respects the cultural and geographical diversity of Syria’s various groups.
In apparent response to the conference’s demands, the Syrian government announced on Aug. 9, 2025, that it was withdrawing from negotiations with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Paris. Damascus described the conference’s calls for a decentralized state and inclusive constitution as unacceptable.
Shortly after the conference, armed Syrian government-backed groups launched heavy attacks on AANES territories and SDF positions. The SDF urged Damascus and its allied militias to immediately halt hostilities and abide by the terms of the April 2024 agreement, warning it would take all necessary measures to defend the rights and security of the population in northeast Syria.
In a statement, the SDF accused the militias of suspicious movements around the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in Aleppo, describing them as a clear violation of the April 1, 2024, agreement between Damascus and the Autonomous Administration.
