Turkey has been holding direct negotiations with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under United States mediation since 2024, in a series of discreet meetings that mark a major diplomatic shift in the Syrian conflict, multiple sources confirmed to Middle East Eye and Al-Monitor.
Amberin Zaman, senior correspondent at Al-Monitor, reported that Ankara’s direct talks with Syrian Kurdish officials began last year in Europe and have continued inside Turkey. “Talks between Ankara and Syrian Kurdish officials have recently been taking place in a town in southern Turkey as well,” Zaman said on Tuesday, citing sources briefed on the meetings.
The latest session, held last week, brought mid-level Turkish and SDF officials together with US facilitators. Discussions reportedly addressed several critical issues: the planned US withdrawal from Syria, control over camps holding Islamic State (ISIS) fighters and families, the possible integration of SDF units into the Syrian army, and local governance arrangements in Kurdish-majority regions.
Mazloum Abdi, the SDF commander and former protégé of jailed Kurdistan and Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, confirmed in a televised statement that contact with Turkey had been established. “We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Turkey, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed,” he told Shams TV.
Although Ankara has long labelled the SDF as an affiliate of the outlawed PKK, recent developments—including the PKK’s February announcement to end armed struggle following a call from Öcalan—have paved the way for a shift. In March, Abdi signed a deal with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to integrate the SDF into a new national military structure.
A US State Department official, speaking to MEE, refrained from detailing private diplomacy but noted, “Steps towards the peaceful integration of government forces and the SDF are encouraging signs of progress.”
Still, the path forward is fraught. While the SDF and Kurdish political actors seek a federal Syria, Ankara remains firm that formal autonomy is a red line. Turkish officials reportedly dismissed a proposed high-level meeting between Abdi and a senior Turkish official, despite earlier overtures.
With the US set to reduce its military presence from eight to five bases, pressure is mounting on all sides to find a workable settlement. “Unless there is a major change,” US envoy Thomas Barrack warned, “our cooperation [with the SDF] will eventually disappear.”
As secret talks continue in Turkey, a once-unthinkable alignment between historical rivals may be emerging—driven by shared security interests, regional realignments, and the ticking clock of American disengagement.
