ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani told Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi during a historic meeting in Erbil that Syrian Kurds must be united in order to achieve their rights, according to Barzani’s office. Abdi’s visit was facilitated by the Americans, who provided a helicopter for transportation, Rudaw has learned.
“During this meeting, the situation in Syria and the latest security and political developments in Syria were discussed, as well as the general framework of Kurdish parties' engagement with Syria's new situation and how to adopt a unified position among Syrian Kurdish parties,” Masoud Barzani’s office said in a statement.
“In this meeting, it was emphasized that Syrian Kurdish parties should decide their own fate through peaceful means without any external interference, and in order to guarantee their rights, they should reach understanding and agreement with Syria's new rulers through unity and a common stance, and be factors for peace and stability while preventing the recurrence of the tragedies that have befallen the Kurdish people and other components of Syria,” it added.
Rudaw has learned from well-placed sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, that Abdi came to Erbil and returned via an American helicopter.
The visit came after Masoud Barzani sent a representative to Rojava to meet with Abdi and the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) - an umbrella group of opposition parties in the Kurdish enclave.
This is not Abdi’s first visit to the Kurdistan Region. He had visited Erbil two times and Sulaimani several times since 2014.
In Sulaimani, he held several meetings with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President Bafel Talabani.
Talabani made his first visit to Rojava in December 2022, meeting with Abdi and other SDF commanders.
Top commanders from the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) also accompanied him.
Abdi’s latest visit to Erbil comes as Syria navigates a transitional phase following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8.
KDP’s Masoud Barzani has played a key role in efforts to unite Kurdish ruling and opposition parties in Rojava.
The ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and ENKS signed a historic agreement, mediated by Masoud Barzani, in Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province in 2015 to end tensions and share power in Rojava but the deal was never implemented. Each side blames the other for the collapse of the agreement.
