Turkey has renewed its call for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate into the ranks of Syria\u2019s transitional government forces, amid ongoing negotiations between Damascus and Kurdish forces on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In its weekly statement released today, Thursday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense urged the SDF to \u201crefrain from any actions or statements that could harm Syria\u2019s unity,\u201d emphasizing that \u201cthe integration of the SDF into the Syrian Armed Forces is of utmost importance.\u201d The statement added that Ankara is closely monitoring developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan also urged the SDF to proceed with integration, warning them against \u201ccontinuing down the wrong path,\u201d as he put it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the start of the Syrian conflict, Ankara has viewed the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party (PKK), which it designates as a terrorist organization. Turkey has launched several military operations against the group in northern Syria over the past years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On March 10, the SDF signed an agreement with Damascus outlining provisions for integrating civil and military institutions in northern and eastern Syria, guaranteeing constitutional rights for Kurds, facilitating the return of displaced persons, rejecting calls for partition, and continuing efforts to combat remnants of the former regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the implementation of the agreement faces obstacles, most notably the insistence of the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria on preserving the SDF\u2019s distinct structure within the army \u2014 a stance rejected by Syria\u2019s transitional government, which maintains its position on centralized state control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkey has renewed its call for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate into the ranks of Syria\u2019s transitional government forces, amid ongoing negotiations between Damascus and Kurdish forces on the issue. In its weekly statement released today, Thursday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense urged the SDF to \u201crefrain from any actions or statements that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-2920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-s1"],"yoast_head":"\n