The Syrian government has denied reports claiming progress in talks on integrating the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into state institutions in Damascus, announcing that the negotiations have in fact been suspended.
“Communication with the SDF has now ceased. The figures that have been circulated are closer to wishes and expectations than reality,” Deputy Information Minister Ubada Kojan said late on Dec. 25 in a statement posted on Facebook.
His remarks contradicted an Arab media report citing officials as saying that Damascus and the SDF had reached a deal on integration that would be formally announced between Dec. 27 and 30.
The reported agreement was said to include the incorporation of some 90,000 SDF security personnel into the Syrian Defense and Interior ministries.
In March, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF head Mazloum Abdi signed an accord to fold the SDF’s semi-autonomous administration into the central government by the end of the year.
However, persistent disagreements have stalled implementation. The SDF has a demand for decentralization — a proposal rejected by Syria’s authorities, who came to power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last year.
Damascus said in its Dec. 25 statement that, far from advancing, the talks were fully suspended because of what it called the SDF’s “unacceptable” demands.
“No agreement has been reached between the two sides due to the SDF’s insistence on demands that are non-negotiable and unworkable for the government,” the statement read.
“We will deliver our final response on the 28th.”
Separately, Presidential Media Adviser Ahmed Muwafaq Zaidan wrote on Facebook that “the options are narrowing for the SDF and it will have to bear responsibility for failing to abide by the memorandum it signed on March 10 in the presence of influential states such as Türkiye and the United States.”
The comments came just days after deadly clashes between the two sides in Aleppo, before their respective leaders ordered a ceasefire.
At the same time, media reported that Damascus has stepped up military deployments — including tanks and artillery — toward SDF-held areas, particularly in Deir ez-Zor, Aleppo and Raqqa.
In Damascus this week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan underscored the importance of integrating the YPG-led forces, having warned the previous week that Ankara’s “patience with the SDF is running out.”
The SDF controls vast, oil-rich territory in the country’s north and northeast, with backing from a U.S.-led international coalition.
