Iraqi Kurdish regional leader meets Syrian president in Damascus

Barzani meets Syria’s al-Sharaa in Damascus to discuss Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) integration and Kurdish rights in post-Assad Syria.The president of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region has met the Syrian president in Damascus.Nechirvan Barzani had talks with Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday in the first visit to Syria by an Iraqi Kurdish leader since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iraqi PM visits Turkiye to boost ties despite complex challengeslist 2 of 3Iranian Kurdish parties in Iraq face a delicate balance amid Iran attackslist 3 of 3Turkiye and Iraq sign one-year oil pipeline deal amid global shiftend of listBarzani arrived with a high-level delegation and was received at the People’s Palace. They discussed bilateral relations, economic cooperation and regional developments, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA. The Syrian Presidency said the talks focused on ways to enhance coordination, particularly in the economic field and addressed issues of common interest contributing to regional stability.“We discussed the importance of Syria’s role in enhancing peace, security and stability in the region,” Barzani said in a statement on X. He added that “by virtue of being neighbours, Syria, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region share many common interests, and there are great opportunities to expand economic cooperation to achieve mutual benefit for all our peoples”.The visit comes as Damascus seeks to finalise the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — a Kurdish-led militia that controls key areas of northeastern Syria, centred in Al-Hasakah Governorate — into state institutions.Following military shifts and agreements, the SDF’s territorial scope has narrowed from its peak control of roughly one-third of Syria to its core strongholds in Hasakah, after handing over administrative authority in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor to state institutions.The SDF and the Syrian government signed an agreement in January providing for the integration of SDF fighters into the defence and interior ministries and the formation of military units under Syrian army command.