DAANES Delegation Arrives in Damascus for High-Level Talks with Syria’s New Government
DAANES delegation arrives in Damascus for talks on integrating NE Syria into post-Assad state structure, following March's Abdi-Shar'a agreement. Meanwhile, a separate Kurdish Unity Conference delegation will focus on Kurdish rights, coordinating with DAANES while maintaining distinct mandates.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A senior delegation from the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) arrived in Damascus on Saturday, May 31, 2025, to begin formal negotiations with Syria’s transitional government. The talks are part of an ongoing political process aimed at integrating the institutions of the DAANES into the post-Assad Syrian state structure.
The delegation includes key figures from across the political and social spectrum of Northeast Syria (Western Kurdistan). According to Kurdistan 24 sources, the talks will center on mechanisms for implementing the eight-point agreement signed on March 10 between Mazloum Abdi, General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Ahmad Shar’a, head of Syria’s transitional authority.
A Strategic Follow-Up to the Abdi-Shar’a Agreement
The March accord outlined a political roadmap for coexistence and institutional consolidation in Syria. Its core points include guarantees for equal citizenship, recognition of the Kurdish community as an integral component of the Syrian state, cessation of hostilities across the country, and the incorporation of DAANES’s military and civil structures—such as border crossings, airports, and energy infrastructure—into the Syrian national framework. The agreement also included provisions for the safe return of refugees, transitional justice, and the rejection of sectarian and ethnic fragmentation.
Implementation committees were formed and tasked with delivering results before the end of 2025.
Distinction Between Delegations: DAANES and the Kurdish Unity Conference
Suleiman Osso, a member of the Kurdish National Council (KNCS) presidency. He clarified that, the members of the visiting delegation is separate from the Kurdish joint delegation established during the Kurdish Unity and Solidarity Conference in Qamishlo on April 26. That upcoming delegation—yet to be formally announced—will represent a broader Kurdish political front focused on securing national rights for Kurds in Syria and will coordinate with the DAANES team on Kurdish-specific matters.
He furthered stated that while the DAANES-led delegation includes Arabs, Kurds, and Syriac-Assyrians and is mandated to discuss administrative and institutional matters, the Qamishlo conference delegation will focus on Kurdish rights and national identity. Coordination between the two efforts will continue to ensure a unified Kurdish position.
Kurdish Unity: A Historic Initiative for a Democratic Syria
The Kurdish Unity and Solidarity Conference marked a pivotal moment in Syrian Kurdish politics, bringing together over 400 delegates from the KNCS, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), women’s and civil society organizations, and independent activists. An envoy from President Masoud Barzani also attended, highlighting regional Kurdish support.
The conference adopted a comprehensive vision for Kurdish constitutional recognition, cultural rights, decentralization, equitable resource distribution, gender equality, and the return of displaced Kurds. This vision, forged in the post-Assad landscape, reinforces Kurdish political cohesion as essential for Syrian stability and territorial integrity.
