By: Monu Kumar
Syrian presidency said on Monday that the Damascus government led by Interim-President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi shook hands in Damascus, as they signed a deal to join Syria’s new state institutions.
SDF controls much of Syria’s oil-rich northeast; the agreement provides for SDF-controlled civilian and military institutions in northeast Syria to be integrated with the state. This development came at a critical moment as Sharaa grapples with the fallout from mass killings of Alawite minority members in western Syria.
The agreement signed on Monday calls for SDF-controlled border crossings, an airport and oil and gas fields in eastern Syria to become part of the Damascus administration.
Abdi said in a post on X that the deal represents a “real opportunity to build a new Syria.” Abidi added - the SDF was working together with the Syrian administration at “such a critical period” to guarantee a transitional phase that reflects the aspirations of the Syrian people for justice and stability.