Syria’s new parliament convened in Damascus for the first time in nineteen months after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad, representing a milestone in the country’s political transition despite the legislature’s current limited powers (Reuters).
Al-Sharaa Appoints Seventy Lawmakers to Parliament
Syrian authorities announced the names of seventy lawmakers appointed to a transitional parliament by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, paving the way for the body to convene for the first time, eight months after the process of forming it began (Reuters).
Syria Holds Legislative Elections in Kurdish-Majority Northeast
Syria held parliamentary elections in the Kurdish-majority northeastern province of Hassakeh and the town of Kobani for the remaining eleven seats in Syria’s first parliament after the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad; both areas were reintegrated under government control after fighting in January (AP).
Turkey-PKK Peace Process Brought to Near Standstill Over Iran War
Interviews with Turkish officials, lawmakers, and representatives of the northern Iraq-based PKK revealed that President Tayyip Erdoğan’s government and the militant group are unwilling to take steps to end the four-decade conflict, given the region’s destabilization because of the war in Iran (Reuters).
Kurdish Military Official Says Turkey Has Stalled Peace Talks
A peace initiative to end the decades-long conflict with Kurdish militants has been effectively “frozen” by the Turkish government, a top militant commander said; the group accused Ankara of failing to enact legal and political reforms needed to move the process forward, contradicting recent optimistic statements by President Tayyip Erdoğan (AP).
Jailed PKK Leader Calls for Legal Reforms to Support PKK Disarmament
Jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan called for the adoption of peace-related laws to enable democratic integration in Turkey, a year after urging the group to end its insurgency and disband; his statement appeared to endorse a proposed parliamentary roadmap linking legal reforms to the PKK’s disarmament, though implementation details remain unclear (Reuters)
Erdogan Approves of Syrian Government and SDF Alignment
President Tayyip Erdoğan stated he was pleased with the steps taken to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces into state structures; he further noted that Ankara is monitoring the integration and is providing guidance on implementing the agreement (Reuters)
Erdoğan Praises Damascus-SDF Deal
President Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the agreement made between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces helped ease tensions in the ongoing peace process between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) at home (Reuters)
Turkish Authorities Block Aid to Kurdish Town in Syria
NGOs and a Turkish member of parliament reported that Turkish authorities blocked a convoy of twenty-five trucks carrying blankets, water, milk, and baby formula from reaching Kobane, a primarily Kurdish town in northeast Syria, before it reached the Turkey-Syria border (Times of Israel)
Erdoğan Demands SDF Disarmament After Syria Ceasefire
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened that Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fighters must immediately lay down their weapons and disband to avoid further bloodshed (Reuters)
Flag Burning Investigated After Pro-Kurdish Border Protests
Turkish authorities opened an investigation after pro-Kurdish protestors burned Turkish flags and clashed with police and soldiers in Nusaybin, near the Syrian border, during demonstrations linked to fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (Reuters)
Students Clash With Police Over Support for Syrian Kurds
Students clashed with police and private security on a university campus in southeast Turkey while protesting in support of Syrian Kurds and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces after the Syrian army’s operation in Aleppo (Reuters)
Turkish Defense Ministry Offers Support After Aleppo Clashes
The Turkish defense ministry announced that Ankara is ready to assist Syria if requested after the Syrian army independently launched an operation in Aleppo amid deadly clashes with the SDF (Reuters)
Foreign Minister Claims SDF Is Stalling on Integration
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces of showing no intention of meeting a year-end deadline to integrate into Syria’s armed forces and warned that continued delays could prompt military action (Reuters)
Foreign Minister Warns of Limited Patience With SDF Integration Deal
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara wants to avoid renewed military action against Syria’s Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces but warned that delays in implementing the March 10 integration agreement are exhausting the patience of regional actors (Reuters)
Diplomatic Spat Between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan
Ankara said that the appearance of former Iraqi Kurdistan leader Masoud Barzani with armed guards in southeast Turkey challenged Turkish sovereignty; Barzani’s office rejected the criticism as nationalist posturing, deepening strains just as Turkish-Kurdish relations appeared to be improving amid a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Reuters)
Turkish MPs Visit PKK Leader
A parliamentary commission overseeing the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party made its first visit to imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan, following signals from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Öalan may address lawmakers; pro-Kurdish lawmakers have suggested that direct engagement with Öcalan is essential to advancing the peace process (Reuters; AP)
Turkish Proposal To Repatriate Kurdish Fighters
Turkish officials are planning to introduce legislation allowing thousands of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members to return from bases in northern Iraq as part of ongoing peace talks to end a decades-long insurgency; the law would grant legal protections to returnees but stop short of full amnesty (Reuters)
Erdoğan Hints at Freeing Jailed Rival
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested he might allow jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Öcalan to address a parliamentary commission, and signaled he was open to freeing a prominent Kurdish political organizer; a Kurdish party could lend Erdoğan much-needed support if he seeks reelection (FT)
The concessions come amid peace talks between the government and the Kurds after a forty-year insurgency (Reuters)
Iraq Pushes Disarmament of Remaining PKK Fighters
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called on Kurdistan Workers’ Party militants who relocated from Turkey to northern Iraq to give up their weapons as part of the peace process with Ankara, noting that armed fighters remain in areas such as Sinjar and Makhmur; Turkey’s foreign minister welcomed cooperation from Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government (AP)
PKK Militants Begin Turkey Withdrawal
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party announced that it has begun withdrawing its fighters from Turkey as part of a deal with Ankara, calling on the government to pass legislation formalizing the group’s transition into domestic politics; Turkish officials welcomed the move as a step toward lasting peace (Reuters)
Turkey and Syria Cooperate Against Kurds
Ankara has agreed to send military vehicles, drones, and air defenses to the Syrian government in return for permission to expand military operations against Kurdish militias near the border; Turkish and Syrian officials are also discussing broader security coordination and limits on Kurdish control of oil fields (Jerusalem Post/Reuters)
Resumption in Turkish Flights to Iraqi Kurdistan
Turkey lifted its two-year flight ban on Sulaymaniyah International Airport after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Kurdish Regional President Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara, signaling warming ties after the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Turkey had labeled a terrorist organization, agreed to disarm under a new peace deal (AP)
Turkey Launches Commission to Oversee PKK Disarmament
Turkey’s parliament formed a commission to oversee the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s disarmament after jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan’s peace call, with most major political parties taking part in the process (Reuters)
Drone Attack Kills PKK Member, Injures Another
Roughly one week after the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) began its first steps towards disarmament, a drone attack near Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq targeted two PKK members on a motorbike, killing one and wounding another; the perpetrator was not confirmed (Al Jazeera; Reuters)