On Thursday, January 16 in Salahaddin, President Masoud Barzani received Mazloum Abdi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and discussed Kurdish unity efforts in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.

The Barzani Headquarters in a readout said that during the meeting they discussed the situation in Syria, recent security and political developments, and the broader framework of Kurdish connections to the evolving situation in Syria.

President Barzani receives the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces

President Masoud Barzani received Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazlum Abdi in Salahaddin on Thursday evening, January 16, 2025.

The meeting discussed the situation in… pic.twitter.com/UcGPB4hUTc

— KDP ForeignRelations (@kdpfro) January 16, 2025

Moreover, they also explored ways to establish a unified stance among Syrian Kurdish parties.

“The discussion emphasized the necessity for Syrian Kurdish parties to make decisions about their future through peaceful means, without external influence,” the readout said.

Both officials stressed the importance of unity and coordination in negotiations with the new Syrian authorities to secure their rights, as well as, as well as the need “to act as a factor of stability and peace, preventing a recurrence of past crises that have affected both the Kurdish people and other communities in Syria.”

This afternoon in Salahadin, President @masoud_barzani received @MazloumAbdi . In this meeting the Syrian situation and the overall framework for the unity of the Kurds in Syria to deal with new developments discussed. The importance of Kurdish parties pursuing peaceful methods… pic.twitter.com/b8x7SBtvD0

— Dr. Hemn Hawrami (@heminhawrami) January 16, 2025

Read More: President Barzani’s Envoy Visits Kurdish Parties in Syria

The meeting came after the January 13 visit of President Barzani’s representative Hamid Darbandi to northeast Syria, during during which Darbandi Darbandi met with SDF Commander-in-Chief Abdi and the leadership of the Kurdish National Council (KNC), an umbrella organization composed of various Syrian Kurdish parties.

“The Kurdistan Democratic Party, Barzani’s network of regional relations with Turkey, and, indirectly, the de facto administration in Damascus can help Syrian Kurds navigate the challenging circumstances they’re facing,” Mohammed Salih, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, told Kurdistan Chronicle.

“Additionally, Barzani is the main reference point for SDF rivals within the KNC. If a comprehensive agreement were to emerge between Abdi and Barzani, it would reflect positively on intra-Syrian Kurdish relations and unity.”

These meetings come amid an initiative by France and the United States to bring Kurdish parties together in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, and the takeover of Damascus by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Read More: President Barzani Calls for Kurdish Unity in Syria

Previously, in a meeting with the KNC delegation in Erbil on January 8, President Barzani stressed his support for the cause of the Kurdish people in Syria and the necessity of unifying positions among the Kurdish parties.

Walih Phares, a former Trump advisor, posted on X that the cooperation between the KRG and the SDF “will allow more arrangements to de-escalation and trust building in the area. Kurdish transnational cooperation is good for peace and prosperity.”

As I strongly suggested for years, the cooperation between the #KRG in northern Iraq and the #SDF in NE #Syria is attempting building bloc for human rights, ethnic coalitions and stability in the region. Such integration will allow more arrangements to de-escalation and trust… https://t.co/sU9X6qztwE

— Dr Walid Phares (@WalidPhares) January 16, 2025