Syria’s Kurdish Leader: Turkey Blocks Integration with Its Own “Solution”

DAMASCUS — The co-chair of Syria’s main Kurdish party, the PYD, says Turkey is approaching the integration of Kurdish forces into the Syrian state based on its own domestic peace process, not on the needs of Syria. In an interview with bianet, Xerîb Hiso spoke as the Syrian People’s Assembly held its first session and as talks continued on implementing an integration agreement between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Hiso discussed the Kurdish boycott of recent elections, demands for political representation, and ongoing contacts with Turkey. He argued that Ankara’s approach to the integration deal mirrors the framework of Turkey’s own “solution process” with its Kurdish population, rather than addressing the political realities inside Syria.