A delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) met with the new Syrian government in Damascus on June 1. The talks are aimed at fully integrating the autonomous eastern Syria region’s military and civilian institutions into the state’s new institutions. The meeting followed a March meeting between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leader Mazlum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa, which became a turning point in talks between eastern Syria and Damascus.
Since 2015, eastern Syria has largely been an autonomous region led by the US-backed SDF and the civilian authorities of the AANES. The current Syrian government is led by Sharaa, who commanded Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), and a core of other HTS leaders who came to power in Damascus after the fall of Bashar al Assad. HTS, which remains a US-designated terrorist organization, previously ran Idlib province in northwest Syria.
“Syrian government officials and a delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) convened in Damascus on Sunday, June 1, for a formal round of negotiations aimed at implementing the March 10 agreement between President Ahmad al Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazloum Abdi,” stated the Syrian media outlet Levant24, which reflects mainstream reports in Damascus.
Before the June 1 meeting, media in eastern Syria said that the AANES’s visit would focus on addressing the terms of the March agreement between the SDF and Damascus. “On April 12, the SDF announced the formation of a committee tasked with representing northeastern Syria in dialogue with the transitional government in Damascus,” North Press noted.
The goals of the Damascus meetings were to anchor the March meeting in a framework of talks and negotiations. There are many hurdles to overcome that affect not only the status of the SDF and how it might integrate into the new Syrian army but also the status of civilian institutions in eastern Syria. The SDF and AANES are primarily led by members of the Kurdish minority in Syria, whereas the leaders in Damascus are mainly Sunni Arabs, with several minorities among the two dozen new ministers in the government.
Levant24 noted that the June 1 meeting was described as “positive and responsible.” The report added that “it focused on core mechanisms to integrate AANES-administered regions into the state structure, with both sides emphasizing national unity and civil stability.”
Specialized subcommittees will now be established to handle “issues including administrative integration, civic services, and security arrangements.” Other key issues include the status of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and a deal in Aleppo, where an enclave held by Kurdish fighters through the civil war is now being integrated into the wider city. Around six months remain to fulfill the March decision to fully incorporate eastern Syria’s “civilian and military structures—including control of border crossings, oil fields, and internal security—into the Syrian state by the end of 2025,” Levant24 noted.
The meeting comes amid other significant changes in Syria, including the country’s relationship with the United States. US President Donald Trump met with Sharaa in Riyadh in May, declared an intent to end US sanctions, and appointed a new US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey.
In eastern Syria, US forces have been redeploying and are slowly withdrawing. The re-deployment will see the American military consolidate from eight military posts within Syria to only one, according to reports. It is unclear if the decision will also affect the US forces at Al Tanf Garrison in southern Syria. The major impact will be on areas where the SDF operates, such as along the Euphrates River.
The June meeting between the eastern Syria authorities and Damascus also took place as reports emerged about an agreement enabling Damascus to assume control over several camps where families of Islamic State (IS) members reside. After the defeat of IS, thousands of the jihadist group’s members and their families ended up in detention facilities and two camps, Roj and Al Hol, in eastern Syria. At one point, Al Hol’s population swelled to tens of thousands. Over the last six years, many of these individuals were returned to their home countries, but at least 37,000 people still reside at the camp.
