AMMAN — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the ceasefire agreement announced between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), describing it as an “important” step towards strengthening Syria’s unity, security and stability.

 

In a statement on Friday, the ministry spokesperson Fuad Majali reaffirmed Jordan’s “firm support for the Syrian government’s efforts to safeguard Syria’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of its people.”

 

He stressed the importance of implementing the agreement in a manner that serves the interests of Syria and supports its recovery and reconstruction.

 

Majali also expressed Jordan’s appreciation for the role of the United States and the efforts of the US Special Envoy to Syria, Ambassador Thomas Barrack, in facilitating the agreement.

 

Syria's government and Kurdish forces reached a comprehensive deal on Friday to gradually integrate the Kurds' military and civilian institutions into the state, a step Washington described as a "historic milestone".

 

In recent weeks, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have ceded vast areas of Arab-majority land to government forces, AFP reported.

 

It was territory they held for years, having seized it in fierce battles against the Daesh terror group during a campaign backed by a US-led coalition.

 

The new deal, the text of which was released by both sides, "seeks to unify Syrian territory and achieve the full integration" of the Kurdish-majority region.

 

It maintains an ongoing ceasefire and introduces a "gradual integration" of the Kurdish forces and administrative institutions.

 

The anti-Daesh campaign made the SDF a key partner of Washington, but since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar Al Assad in late 2024, the United States has drawn close to the new authorities in Damascus.

 

The US has recently declared the need for its Kurdish alliance largely over, and has sought to mediate talks between the government and the Kurds.

 

The new agreement, announced by both the SDF and Syrian state television, follows an understanding reached earlier this month on the future of the majority-Kurdish areas of Hasakeh province and the town of Kobane.

 

It appears to include at least some of the Kurds' demands, like the establishment of brigades of SDF fighters in Kurdish-majority areas.

 

Damascus had previously rejected the idea of ethnically based military units.