ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani on Thursday invited Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to Damascus during a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Kurdistan Regional Government announced. “The Syrian foreign minister also invited the Kurdistan Regional Government prime minister to Damascus and said he hoped to see him in Syria in the near future,” the KRG said in a statement. The meeting comes with the Kurdistan Region taking a more active role in mediating tensions between northeast Syria’s (Rojava) ruling and opposition groups. “Kurds are our brothers and sisters… and their rights will be protected,” the statement cited Shaibani as saying. On Wednesday, Shaibani said that the Kurds in Syria add “beauty and brilliance” to the country and that the new administration is working to preserve the country’s diversity. During the meeting, Barzani emphasized the importance of peace and stability in Syria and affirmed Erbil’s readiness to provide all necessary support and assistance to the Syrian people, the statement added. Damascus has been adamant about rejecting federalism and Kurdish self-rule in the country, with many Syrians and foreign powers worried that the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly an al-Qaeda affiliate, may impose strict Islamic rule on threatened minority groups such as Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites. On Friday, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani held a historic meeting with Mazloum Abdi, chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Erbil to discuss Kurdish unity talks and the latest developments in Syria. The Kurdish unity talks are aimed to ensure that Syrian Kurds head to Damascus with a united voice to negotiate with the new Syrian authorities, led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, which toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in a blistering offensive on December 8.
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