The Syrian government on Friday announced a new agreement with the PKK/YPG terrorist group to stabilize a cease-fire that ended weeks of clashes and to lay out the steps toward integration between the two sides, Syrian state television reported.
According to the report, the deal was concluded between representatives of the Syrian government and the YPG.
The agreement reportedly includes a cease-fire between Syrian forces and YPG elements, along with the gradual integration of the military and administrative structures of both sides.
Syrian media said the parties agreed on withdrawing military forces from contact lines and allowing security forces affiliated with the Syrian Interior Ministry to enter the city centers of Hasakah and Qamishli to bolster stability.
The deal also calls for the start of a process to integrate security forces in the region. A new military division is to be formed, including three brigades affiliated with the YPG, while a brigade linked to the Ayn al-Arab forces would be incorporated into a division under the Aleppo province command, according to the report.
In addition, the agreement covers the integration of the so-called autonomous administration institutions in areas under YPG occupation into Syrian state institutions, while protecting the positions of civilian employees.
The parties also reportedly agreed to regulate civil and educational rights of the Kurdish community in Syria and to guarantee the return of displaced persons to their home regions.
The deal aims to preserve Syria’s territorial unity, strengthen the rule of law and increase cooperation among relevant actors to achieve full integration and support reconstruction efforts.
The Syrian army launched an operation against the YPG on Jan. 16 in areas west of the Euphrates River. The campaign later expanded east of the river with the participation of tribal forces, and much of the territory previously occupied by the group came under government control, Syrian media reported.
A cease-fire and integration agreement reached between Damascus and the YPG on Jan. 18 included provisions for the group’s full withdrawal from Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces east of the Euphrates, the transfer of public institutions in Hasakah to the state, central authority control over border crossings and energy resources, and the individual integration of YPG elements into Syrian security forces.
Clashes resumed on Jan. 19 after the YPG refused to comply with the deal, according to Syrian officials. The government announced on Jan. 20 that it had given the group four days to integrate and declared a cease-fire, later extended for 15 days on Jan. 24.
