The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, announced that he is open to dialogue with the Syrian regime, following a recent statement where he expressed openness to dialogue with Turkey and the Syrian opposition.

In a recorded interview published by the Hawar News Agency, which is close to the SDF, on Tuesday, July 23, Abdi stated that the problems and disagreements between Damascus and Ankara are numerous, making it difficult for them to reach any agreement.

Both the SDF and its political umbrella, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), have expressed concerns about the rapprochement process announced between Turkey and the Syrian regime since last June, repeatedly issuing statements condemning the step.

Abdi stated that his forces are open to dialogue with everyone, especially the “Damascus government,” referring to the Syrian regime, and that they believe in reaching a resolution with Damascus.

He explained that the SDF is in contact with the Syrian regime, but Damascus needs to reconsider its position.

Regarding his previous readiness for dialogue with Turkey, Abdi conditioned that Turkish forces and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) withdraw from the “occupied areas,” referring to northern and part of eastern Aleppo.

Abdi highlighted the real dangers facing the region, especially since it is besieged with external economic interventions.

“They are deliberately trying to eliminate the resources of the Autonomous Administration so that it cannot serve the people. Last year, they targeted our service institutions, causing significant damage. Of course, part of this problem is our management style, but there is also a siege and attacks, which cause our people to suffer and force them to travel,” he added.

He emphasized the need for the residents of the region to “unite” to overcome the dangers.

Abdi’s statements come at a time when Turkey is rapidly moving towards rapprochement with the Syrian regime after the regime demonstrated a possibility of achieving normalization between the two sides.

The SDF has consistently opposed this rapprochement, considering it a direct target against them.

For months, the SDF and its political umbrella, the Autonomous Administration, have been talking about their willingness to dialogue with all parties, including the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition, which they consider their traditional adversary in Syria.

In 2020, Abdi previously announced his readiness to hold peace talks with Turkey without any preconditions, indicating he might consider mediating between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after resolving issues with Turkey, during an interview with Al-Monitor news website.

Earlier in July, the Deputy co-chairman of the Executive Council in the Autonomous Administration, Hassan Kojar, stated, “We do not pose a threat to any party, nor are we enemies of any party. We aim to build Syria and preserve the country’s territorial integrity. We have always said that we are ready to liberate the occupied Syrian areas in cooperation with the Syrian army.”

Since its establishment in 2013, the Autonomous Administration has been watching the negotiations between the opposition and the regime under international sponsorship, the Arab Initiative, and the normalization steps with the regime, clearly struggling to engage in any of them due to lack of recognition from all sides, even from its allies in the United States.

The Autonomous Administration and the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) have attempted to propose a dialogue path with all parties in Syria, including the Syrian regime, but have not achieved any progress in any of these paths to date.