Barzani visits Damascus as Kurdish diplomacy over SDF integration accelerates in the new Syria

Iraq's Kurdish region president Nechirvan Barzani met President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the first visit by an Iraqi Kurdish leader to Syria since Assad's fall, with the SDF's integration into the Syrian state and Kurdish rights topping the agenda; the SDF leadership was expected in Damascus the next day for follow-up talks. How the March 2025 integration agreement is implemented will determine the balance of power in northeastern Syria, a question Ankara watches closely and one that runs parallel to Türkiye's own peace process with the PKK.

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