The Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of Syria’s oil-rich north-east, signed a deal with the Damascus government on March 10 to join Syria’s new state institutions, the Syrian presidency said.

Photos showed Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi shaking hands in Damascus on the agreement that provides for SDF-controlled civilian and military institutions in north-east Syria to be integrated with the state, Reuters reported.

The accord came at a critical moment as Sharaa grappled with the fallout from mass killings of Alawite minority members in western Syria – violence that he said on March 10 threatened his effort to unite Syria after 14 years of conflict.

In December 2024, insurgents toppled the government of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

The agreement signed on March 10 calls for SDF-controlled border crossings, an airport, and oil and gas fields in eastern Syria to become part of the Damascus administration.

In his first official comment following the signing of the accord, Abdi said in a post on X that the deal represents a “real opportunity to build a new Syria”.

He said the SDF was working together with the Syrian administration at “such a critical period” to guarantee a transitional phase that reflects the aspirations of the Syrian people for justice and stability.

Implementation is due by the end of 2025, but the accord does not specify how SDF’s military operation will be integrated into Syria’s defense ministry, a major sticking point in talks thus far.