Ahmed Şara and Mazlum Abdi met in Damascus
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leader Mazloum Abdi and SDF's senior official Ilham Ahmed met with interim President Ahmed Shara in Damascus.
Sources in Damascus told East that the main topic discussed at the meeting held under the media blackout was education.
The talks took place about 20 days after Abdi and Ahmed met with Shara in Damascus.
The sources stated that although both sides were determined to implement the agreement dated January 29, an agreement could not be reached on several controversial issues at the said meeting.
Abdi denied the recent claims that the SDF would be disbanded, stating that the group's integration into the Syrian army would retain its structure within new formations, including brigades in Qamishli, Malikiya and Kobani and another brigade planned to be established in Afrin.
He also announced his plans to establish a new non-ethnic political party in Syria.
Foreign Minister Assad Shebani stated on August 18 that many issues such as the integration of Women's Protection Units (YPJ) into the army and Kurdish education remain unresolved.
While Kurdish officials wanted the school curriculum to be translated into Kurdish, Damascus proposed that the Kurdish language be presented as an elective course on the grounds that a separate curriculum could lead to similar demands from other Syrian communities.
Before going to Damascus, Ahmed wrote in X that education in the mother tongue is “a fundamental right of every people”, adding that recognition of these rights could make Syria a model of justice, stability and peace.
On January 16, Shara issued Decree No. 13, recognizing Syrian Kurdish citizens as an “indispensable and integral part of the Syrian people” and accepting their cultural and linguistic identities as part of Syria's national identity.
Other unresolved issues include Kurds outside Syria, Kurdish organizations and leaders who did not join state institutions, and the return of displaced persons, and people detained and missing by the SDF.
According to the latest news, after the integration in the talks, the appointments of the Kurds within the state institutions will also be discussed.
This includes bringing names from the Syrian Democratic Council to high-level positions.
Before his visit to Damascus, Abdi stated that the implementation of the agreement signed in the month of Ccak has entered a new stage as the integration of military, security and administrative institutions has entered a new stage.
While the Kurdish media reported significant progress has been made in the unification of civil and service institutions, including education, health, energy, water and agriculture, the integration of the judiciary is expected to progress in early September.