Afrin File on the Negotiation Table Between Damascus and SDF
The public satisfaction in the areas covered by the agreement indicates that consensual solutions based on respecting local specificities are accepted by citizens and pave the way for a new phase of s
April 17, 2025, 10:27 pm

Afrin File on the Negotiation Table Between Damascus and SDF

عفرين

The co-president of the Self-Administration, Badran Jia Kurd, expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the meeting that brought together the Self-Administration with the Central Committee assigned by Damascus, headed by Hussein Salama, in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo.

Jia Kurd told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the talks addressed vital files, where an agreement was reached to hold a special meeting bringing together the concerned parties from the government and the Self-Administration, with the aim of formulating a clear action plan including a timeline regarding the Afrin file.

He mentioned that the two sides discussed mechanisms for completing the implementation of the remaining items of the agreement, especially regarding the issue of exchanging remaining prisoners held by both parties in Aleppo city, in addition to ways of administrative cooperation between civil institutions in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods and the Aleppo Governorate Council.

The discussions included a field tour conducted by both parties in the two neighborhoods, during which they inspected the newly established points, where a state of general satisfaction was observed among local residents, reflecting the results of efforts exerted on the ground.

This meeting comes in the context of following up on the implementation of the agreement reached on April 1, between a committee assigned by the Syrian government and the "Civil Council of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods," to settle the situation of the two neighborhoods in Aleppo city.

The agreement, consisting of 14 items, included the withdrawal of military forces in the two neighborhoods with their weapons to northeastern Syria, and prohibiting armed manifestations in them, which enhances the civil environment and stability in the region.

Political analysts consider these negotiations to represent a preliminary model for consensual solutions that can be generalized to other areas in Syria, contributing to establishing a decentralization approach and mutual understandings.

Experts in Syrian affairs indicate that the progress made in cooperation files between the Self-Administration and the Syrian government represents an important step toward building a system that respects the specificities of different regions and establishes good governance based on participation and distribution of powers.

Local sources confirm that the satisfaction expressed by residents in the areas covered by the agreement reflects the aspirations of Syrian citizens for practical solutions that end the state of conflict and establish a new phase of recovery and building, based on the principles of good governance and respect for diversity.

Observers believe that the Afrin file represents a real test of the seriousness of the parties in applying consensual solutions, especially with ongoing fears of violations practiced by Turkish-backed armed groups in the region, which threaten the rights of indigenous residents and change the demographic composition.

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