Barzani meets Sharaa in Damascus, backing a ‘stable and united’ Syria

DAMASCUS — Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday and said he had reaffirmed support for “a stable and united Syria, where the rights of all ethnic and religious communities are protected.”

Barzani was received at the People’s Palace, where the Kurdistan Region flag was displayed at the welcoming ceremony. “After many years of hardship, Syria now has a historic opportunity to recover, rebuild, and prosper,” he wrote on X after the meeting, expressing confidence in Sharaa’s leadership. “As neighbors, Syria, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region share many common interests, and there is significant potential to expand economic cooperation for the benefit of all our peoples,” he said, adding that the two had discussed Syria’s role in advancing regional peace and security.

The Syrian presidency’s own readout said the talks covered relations between the two sides and ways to strengthen cooperation, particularly economic, and reviewed regional developments. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also attended. It did not mention Syria’s Kurds, the Syrian Democratic Forces or the agreement between Damascus and the SDF.

Barzani has worked repeatedly to reduce tensions between Damascus and Syrian Kurdish parties while pressing for Kurdish rights within a unified Syria. He met SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Kurdish National Council leader Mohammed Ismail in January, urging an end to fighting and continued dialogue, and said days later during clashes between the Syrian army and the SDF that he was in contact with regional and international parties to secure a ceasefire.

In February he thanked France for supporting a ceasefire and the Damascus-SDF agreement, saying Kurdish linguistic, cultural and educational rights must be recognized and that Syrian Kurds should participate fully in political life. At the Munich Security Conference he called for Kurdish parties beyond the SDF, including the Kurdish National Council, to join talks with Damascus.