ERBIL () - Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa told in an exclusive exchange that Damascus enjoys good economic and security ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government and with President Masoud Barzani, President Nechirvan Barzani, and other Kurdish political groups, describing the relationship as still in its early stages while expressing confidence that the two sides can build on these foundations and develop their relationship further in the future.
The statement was made in response to a question from Bureau Chief Rahim Rashidi at a Meeting organized by Atlantic Council in New York about the state of relations between Syria and the Kurdistan Region.
Al-Sharaa's characterization of the ties as good across both economic and security dimensions is significant, given the complexity of the relationship between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, also known as DAANES, which controls a large portion of northeastern Syria. The distinction al-Sharaa draws between his ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil and the broader Kurdish political landscape, naming both President Barzani and Nechirvan Barzani alongside other groups, suggests Damascus is engaging with the full spectrum of Kurdish political actors rather than limiting its engagement to a single party or institution.
The description of the relationship as being in its early stages is an honest acknowledgment that the post-Assad transition has only recently created the political conditions for normal relations between Damascus and Erbil to develop. Under Assad, Syria's relationship with the Kurdistan Region was shaped by the broader regional dynamics of Iranian influence, PKK presence in Syria, and the closed border that limited economic interaction. With Assad gone, sanctions lifted, and Syria reintegrating into the regional and international community, the relationship between Damascus and Erbil is genuinely starting from a new baseline.
The interview comes as Syria is simultaneously pursuing a security agreement with Israel, managing the integration of SDF forces into its national army, rehabilitating the Ottoman-era railway connecting Europe to the Red Sea in partnership with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, and positioning itself as a regional energy transit hub through the Basra-to-Baniyas oil corridor backed by a Chevron-led $5.7 billion pipeline contract. The Kurdistan Region's own strategic importance as a stable and internationally connected entity on Syria's eastern frontier makes building ties with Erbil a natural component of Damascus's broader regional integration strategy.
