Ankara Presses for YPG Integration into Syrian Armed Forces Amid Political Transition

Turkey has reiterated its demand for Kurdish-led forces in Syria to comply with a recent agreement with the country’s interim government and integrate into Syria’s new military structure. Speaking at a press conference during the informal NATO foreign ministers’ summit in Antalya on May 15, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG)—the dominant faction in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—has yet to take any concrete steps toward integration.

“We see that there has been no step taken by the YPG so far. We expect these steps to be put into practice,” said Fidan. “In order for stability to be achieved in Syria, there must be a comprehensive government and a single legitimate armed force.”

A Complex History of Alliances and Enmities

The YPG, while having played a central role in the U.S.-led fight against ISIS, has long been a point of contention between Ankara and Washington. Turkey regards the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish militant organization outlawed in Turkey and classified as a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Union. Despite this designation, the U.S. has continued to back the YPG through the SDF in northeastern Syria—a region rich in oil and gas.

The situation grew more complex in March when SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The deal aimed to incorporate the military and civil institutions of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration into the broader framework of the Syrian state. The agreement came just three months after the fall of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

Adding further weight to regional shifts, the PKK recently announced its decision to disband and end armed struggle—a historic decision after more than 40 years of conflict with the Turkish state. However, the SDF quickly clarified that this move would not lead to its own disarmament.

Damascus Warns Against Delay

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, speaking alongside his Turkish and Jordanian counterparts in Ankara, issued a clear warning: any delay in implementing the SDF integration agreement would prolong instability and risk further foreign interference.

“Delaying the implementation of this agreement will prolong the chaos, open the door to foreign interference, and fuel separatist tendencies,” said Al-Shaibani.

He described the March agreement as a “national accord,” underlining Syria’s intent to bring all regions, including those under SDF control, back into the fold of the central government. The accord is expected to be implemented by the end of the year, although progress has been slow and contested by segments within the Kurdish leadership.

“Our goal is not dominance but unification,” Al-Shaibani said. “We are keen on implementing this agreement and we hope that the other side is seriously committed.”

Uncertain Response from the Kurds

Despite mounting pressure from both Ankara and Damascus, the SDF leadership remains cautious. While SDF chief Mazloum Abdi publicly welcomed the PKK’s decision to disband, calling it a potential “new phase for politics and peace in the region,” he also reiterated earlier this year that PKK’s decision does not directly impact the SDF.

Kurdish leaders have also expressed concerns about the direction of Syria’s political transition. In March, they criticized the interim government’s temporary constitutional declaration for failing to reflect Syria’s ethnic and cultural diversity. Nonetheless, the Kurdish administration has not ruled out cooperation, and Abdi’s latest comments suggest a pragmatic willingness to navigate the new realities.

Strategic Calculations and Regional Tensions

Ankara sees the integration of the YPG into Syria’s national military as an essential step toward neutralizing what it perceives as a long-term security threat along its southern border. Turkish officials are also banking on the process as a means to finally resolve tensions with Washington over the YPG’s role and its ties to the PKK.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking on May 15, underscored this point:

“It is of vital importance that the terror group’s branches in Syria and Europe also recognize these realities and join the process of dissolution and disarmament.”

The recent moves are part of a broader geopolitical recalibration in the wake of Assad’s ouster. Turkey, Syria, and regional actors appear to be exploring new security architectures. The SDF’s control over Syria’s oil-rich northeast makes its cooperation critical for economic stabilization and reconstruction efforts.

US Influence and Kurdish Autonomy

For more than a decade, the United States has been the SDF’s principal military backer. Kurdish forces leveraged this support to defeat ISIS and assert de facto autonomy across much of northern and eastern Syria. However, with the Biden administration under increasing domestic pressure to reduce overseas military commitments—and President Trump reportedly favoring a negotiated peace—Washington’s long-standing protection of the SDF may be nearing a turning point.

This shift has not gone unnoticed in Ankara and Damascus, who are both pushing for a normalization of the military landscape in Syria, including disarmament and integration of all militias into a singular, state-controlled force.

Syria’s Unity and Kurdish Rights

Despite ongoing tensions, both Ankara and Damascus have signaled that the rights of Syria’s Kurdish population will be protected under the new arrangement. Syrian Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani emphasized the importance of equality:

“The unity of Syrian territory is non-negotiable, as Syria is an indivisible, unified state, sovereign over its land and will remain so. The rights of Kurdish citizens will be preserved and guaranteed on an equal footing with the rest of the Syrian people.”

Whether the promises of integration and rights protection will materialize in practice remains an open question. What is clear, however, is that the coming months will be crucial for the future of Syria’s Kurds, the balance of power in the region, and the evolving role of external actors like the United States.

Keywords: Syria-Kurdish agreement, YPG integration, SDF-PKK ties, Turkey foreign policy, Assad fall, Syrian constitutional process, Kurdish autonomy, Syrian oil regions, Mazloum Abdi, Ahmad al-Sharaa, Ankara-Damascus talks, US-SDF alliance

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