SDF commander calls for Kurdish unity ahead of Syrian dialogue

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mazloum Abdi, chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Saturday called on Kurdish parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) to form a unified front ahead of national Syrian dialogue and amid efforts to resume intra-Kurdish talks.

“Today, Kurdish national unity in Syria has become a historic necessity in response to the challenges of this critical phase. We call on all Kurdish parties to set aside partisan interests and genuinely engage with public calls for dialogue and unity,” Abdi said on X.

He urged Kurdish parties in Rojava to overcome their differences so that Kurds can “adopt a unified stance in support of dialogue in Syria and participate in shaping a democratic and diverse future for the country.”

His call comes amid efforts to resume talks between feuding Kurdish parties in Rojava.

Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last week, the Kurdish National Unity Parties (PYNK) expressed readiness to return to talks with the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC). The PYNK is a coalition of 24 parties that have close ties with Rojava’s ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and have representatives in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).

The ENKS, an umbrella group of Kurdish opposition parties in Rojava, also expressed readiness to resume talks, but said they had not received an official request from the PYNK.

“Until the future of Syria is determined, we will pay special attention to the issue of a unified Kurdish stance, but that unified stance must also be agreed upon,” ENKS spokesperson Faysal Yusuf told Rudaw on Saturday.

Yusuf believes that after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, they should send a message to neighboring countries, the new authorities in Syria, and the Syrian people that “we as the Kurdish people have our own characteristics and are not dependent on anyone. Therefore, we must focus on this message, not on each side having its own position and demands.”

Kurds were systematically discriminated against under the former Syrian regime. During the civil war, they carved out an autonomous area in the north where they sought to promote diversity and tolerance. That area is, however, again under threat from Turkey, the main supporter of the Syrian rebels that toppled Assad. Ankara is opposed to the Kurdish-led SDF and accuses it of affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

During a joint press conference with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan’s Aqaba on Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan repeated the need to remove the PKK from Syria, and doubled down on Ankara’s position that the “territorial integrity and unity of Syria must be protected under all circumstances.”

“We can never allow terrorism to take advantage of the transitional period. We have to coordinate our efforts and learn from the mistakes of the past. Any misstep will lead to irregular migration flow,” Fidan said, referring to the SDF.

“The PKK, for the last 10 years, have taken advantage of the chaotic environment in Syria. So they have been disguising themselves within the ranks of the SDF and we have to take them out of, we have to fight against PKK terrorism wherever they are,” he added.

Fidan noted that Ankara believes that Syrian Kurds must be separated from the PKK.

“Turkey, I should note that, very much respects and care[s] about the wellbeing of Syrian Kurds. So we need to do our best to divorce the Syrian Kurds from the PKK, and legitimate representatives of Syrian Kurds should defend the interest of Syrian Kurds in Damascus,” he said.