ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Commander Mazloum Abdi on Monday met with a delegation from the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC), in the presence of the global coalition, to discuss Kurdish unity going forward in Syria following the collapse of the Baathist regime.
“In the presence of officials from the international coalition, a meeting was convened between General Mazloum Abdi, SDF Commander-in-Chief, and the Presidency of the Kurdish National Council in Syria to discuss the establishment of a unified Kurdish stance in the new Syria,” the two sides said in a joint statement.
“It was agreed on the importance of continued meetings and the expeditious resolution of contentious issues,” it added.
Faysal Yusuf, the spokesperson for the ENKS told Rudaw that the meeting with Abdi “went well” adding that “there will be another meeting” between the two sides.
The ENKS is an umbrella group of Kurdish opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava).
Previously both sides have expressed willingness to hold dialogue amid calls for a unified Kurdish front and efforts to resume talks between feuding Kurdish parties in Rojava, especially following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime earlier this month.
Following the collapse of the Syrian regime, the Kurdish National Unity Parties (PYNK) expressed readiness to return to talks with the ENKS. 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).
Faysal told Rudaw at the time that they were ready for talks, but they have not received a request from the PYNK.
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.