On Friday, President Masoud Barzani received General Mazloum Abdi, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and urged the SDF and Damascus to implement the recent ceasefire agreement.

After heavy fighting between the Kurdish-led SDF forces and the Syrian army, both sides reached an agreement on January 29 to integrate the SDF into the national armed forces and to stop the fighting.

The meeting between President Barzani and General Abdi focused on the implementation of the agreement reached between the Syrian government and the SDF.

President Barzani “stressed the importance of coordination among all parties to safeguard and strengthen the rights of the Kurdish people in Syria in the coming phase, within the framework of the constitution.”

Today’s meeting between President Masoud Barzani and General Abdi came after the visit of France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot to Erbil on Thursday, where he was received by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.

During the meeting on Thursday, President Nechirvan Barzani thanked France’s President Emmanuel Macron for his contributions to advocating for the rights of the Kurds in a unified Syria, as well as his efforts in facilitating a ceasefire agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF.

“An agreement that concludes the war must be fully implemented to ensure political and security guarantees for the integration of the Kurds into a unified Syria. Additionally, a presidential decree recognizing their linguistic, cultural, and educational rights must be fully enacted,” President Nechirvan Barzani said in a joint press conference with Minister Barrot.

Minister Barrot also met with the SDF delegation led by General Abdi, in which they discussed the implementation of the January 29 agreement, and addressed the continuation of joint efforts in combating ISIS and ensuring the protection and security of detention facilities holding ISIS fighters and their families.