Paris suggests relocating Syrian government–SDF talks to Arab country

France has put forward a proposal to shift the planned meeting between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (terrorist group PKK/YPG - ed.) from Paris to an Arab country.

According to Syria TV, citing a diplomatic source, the French Foreign Ministry suggested to both Damascus and the SDF that the stalled talks be moved to a venue such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, or Iraqi Kurdistan.

The ministry also reportedly held discussions with SDF representatives on broadening the list of guarantor states for any eventual agreement with Damascus, recommending the involvement of Arab and regional actors, including Türkiye.

However, the source underlined that the Syrian government continues to insist on hosting the talks in Damascus, arguing that “the issues with the SDF are internal, national matters that must be addressed and resolved by Syrians themselves, within Syria, not abroad.”

A separate source close to the SDF confirmed to the channel that political negotiations between the two sides had already stalled even before Damascus officially rejected the Paris meeting. The refusal was triggered by the “conference on the composition of forces” convened by the SDF in Hasakah in August 2024.

The same source added that there are currently no indications that political negotiations will resume in the near future. For now, interactions are limited to de-escalation and coordination mechanisms facilitated by Washington and Paris.

By Tamilla Hasanova