The paper said it obtained this information from Omer Ozguzelcik, director of the Turkish branch of the Omran Centre for Studies, who recently met Sharaa in Damascus with a delegation of researchers and journalists.

According to the report, when asked about the SDF’s demands for decentralization, Al-Sharaa replied that Syria is already about “90 % decentralized” thanks to Law No. 107, which covers local administration.

He said Syrian society is not ready to discuss federal systems and that such demands are essentially a veiled call for separatism.

He also recounted his first meeting with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, saying: “If you have come to demand Kurdish rights, there is no need. My principle is that Kurds are equal citizens of Syria, and I am more concerned about Kurdish rights than you are.”

Al-Sharaa noted that the March 10 agreement he signed with Abdi, which stipulated the integration of SDF forces and affiliated institutions into the Syrian government, offered for the first time a solution supported by both the United States and Turkey, but certain factions within the Kurdish-led grouping obstructed it and slowed implementation.

According to Milliyet, Sharaa convinced Turkey not to launch an operation against the SDF after longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled in December 2024 in order to give negotiations a chance.

But he hinted that if integration is not achieved by next December, Turkey might resort to military action.