Turkey is cautiously optimistic about an agreement between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurdish forces and the new Syrian government. A Turkish official said on Tuesday that the government would first see how the agreement is implemented.
The SDF, which control a significant portion of northeastern Syria and are considered a “terrorist organization” by Ankara, have signed an accord to join the new state institutions in Syria, according to the Syrian presidency on Monday.
The agreement entails the integration of the SDF’s civilian and military installations in northeastern Syria into the state, as well as the transfer of border crossings, an airport and oil and gas fields in eastern Syria to the administration of Damascus.
The agreement comes at a critical time, as self-proclaimed President Ahmed al-Schaar faces the consequences of mass killings of Alawite minority members in western Syria by his forces. Online reports also suggest that the US is exerting intense pressure on the Kurds to normalize their relations with Damascus, in an effort to prevent a potential collapse of the central government following the massacre in Latakia.
“We are cautiously optimistic about the agreement” said a Turkish official to Reuters. “Aside from the agreement itself, we are currently examining how it will be implemented.”
A Turkish official, who requested anonymity, stated that the organization has made promises before, so the focus is on implementation rather than intention.
Ankara supports the Islamist government in Damascus and hopes that al-Schaar can form a unity government.
Ankara has repeatedly demanded that the YPG militia, which the Turkish government considers a terrorist organization, be disarmed and dissolved and that all non-Syrian fighters of the militia leave the country. The Turkish official, who requested anonymity, stated that the agreement does not change the government’s determination to combat terrorism.
The confrontation between the new Islamist authorities in the Syrian capital and the Kurdish autonomous region has been temporarily alleviated by the agreement. However, the conflict is not resolved. The agreement appears more like a statement of intent, with no details provided on implementation. Several committees are expected to implement the agreement by the end of the year.