Barzani meets Al Shara on first Damascus visit by Kurdish leader since Assad's fall
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara on Monday rolled out the red carpet for the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq , Nechirvan Barzani, for the first high-level visit by a Kurdish official since the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024. For the Kurdistan region, a semi-autonomous area in northern Iraq, the engagement is strategic and protective. A stable, inclusive Syria reduces the risk of…
Damascus welcomed President Nechirvan Barzani of Iraq's Kurdish region on Monday, marking the first high-level visit by a Kurdish official since the demise of the Assad regime in late 2024. This significant diplomatic gesture holds strategic importance for the Kurdish region, as a stable and inclusive Syria would diminish the threat of ISIS resurgence and refugee influxes into Kurdish territories.
Moreover, the visit enhances Erbil's bargaining power with both Baghdad and Ankara, positioning the region as a crucial intermediary between Damascus and Syrian Kurds. For the Syrian Kurds, who constitute around 10% of Syria's population and govern the north-eastern territories, Barzani's visit offers political cover during ongoing negotiations to secure a formal role in Syria's post-conflict political landscape.
Since 2014, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and supported militarily by the United States, have been instrumental in defeating ISIS in Syria. In exchange for their efforts, the US maintained a presence in Hasakah, Deir Ezzor, and Raqqa to support counter-ISIS operations and safeguard detention facilities harboring militants.
However, the progress made since the formation of a transitional administration under President Al Shara has been limited. In March 2025, the Autonomous Administration signed a preliminary agreement recognizing Kurdish as an official language in Kurdish-majority areas and promoting the integration of SDF units into the Syrian Ministry of Defence.
Nonetheless, implementation has been impeded by disputes over decentralization, oil revenue distribution, and the status of foreign fighters. Despite some local councils being recognized and Kurdish being taught in schools within Kurdish areas, Damascus has not agreed upon a federal or decentralized system akin to Iraq's Kurdish Region.
The visit by President Barzani is anticipated to propel this process forward. The Kurdish region shares a 1,100-kilometer border with Syria and accommodates thousands of Syrian Kurdish refugees. Erbil has previously mediated between the SDF and Turkey, which perceives the PYD as connected to the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
No joint communique has been released yet. A Syrian Kurdish political source familiar with the trip elucidates that the timing of the visit, spurred by recent regional upheavals triggered by the Iran war, has bolstered Syria's stance and heightened apprehensions regarding potential repercussions for Kurds in Syria and Iraq. Notably, Massoud Barzani, the uncle of President Barzani, played a pivotal role in a US-sponsored agreement in January, ensuring the SDF retains control over Kurdish-populated regions near Iraq and Turkey's borders.
The Barzanis vehemently oppose the SDF's "trampling" by President Al Shara's forces if "all hell breaks loose" on the border. President Barzani has affirmed Erbil's regional government's backing for the eventual dissolution of the SDF, while preserving a substantial degree of de facto autonomy for the Kurds in the north-east and authority over Kurdish commanders in SDF units transitioning into Syria's new military framework.
The source emphasized that the dissolution of the SDF is inevitable, given the current circumstances.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
