Damascus hosts high-level talks between government and AANES
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – A political and military delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) arrived in Damascus on Wednesday to engage in official talks with representatives of the Syrian Transitional Government, in a dialogue facilitated by U.S. and French mediation.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the negotiations are centered around four key files: the future structure of the Syrian state, the nature of relations between the central government and the AANES, and two additional tracks covering economic cooperation and the role of military forces.
The meeting, currently underway in the Syrian capital, brings together Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s Transitional President, and General Mazloum Abdi, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack also in attendance.
A Kurdish source speaking to AFP confirmed the centrality of these four issues, noting that the talks are viewed as a critical step toward a long-term political settlement that incorporates northeast Syria’s administration into a reimagined national framework.
The delegation from northeast Syria includes SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi, Ilham Ahmad, Co-President of the AANES’ Department of Foreign Relations, and the co-chairs of the AANES’ negotiation committee, Foza Youssef and Abdulhamid al-Mahbash.