French FM meets SDF commander to discuss stability, Kurdish unity
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, held on Wednesday night a meeting with General Mazloum Abdi, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Ilham Ahmad, Co-Chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Sources informed North Press that the discussions focused on stabilizing northeastern Syria, unifying Kurdish political parties, enhancing dialogue among local and international stakeholders, and France’s potential role in facilitating a political transition in the country.
Prior to the meeting, Barrot held a joint press conference in Erbil with the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, during which he reaffirmed France’s continued support for the SDF, Iraqi security forces, and the Peshmerga in their ongoing battle against ISIS.
France also backs General Mazloum Abdi’s efforts to unify Kurdish political parties in Syria—a process reportedly nearing a breakthrough, with a major pan-Kurdish conference set to take place in Qamishli city on April 26.
Following the fall of the Assad regime, Barrot visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, where he emphasized the importance of preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and ensuring the political and religious rights of minority groups, particularly the Kurds, who played a pivotal role in the fight against ISIS.