During the Syrian Clans Forum in Ayn al-Issa, SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazlum Abdi said that the SDF was ready to start conditional negotiations with Turkey to solve the issues, according to ANHA.

The SDF is ready to consider the demands of Turkey on the borders and that Turkey should not interfere in Syrian affairs and respect Syria’s sovereignty, he added.

“If the Turkish state wants a political solution, it must return Afrin to its people. Without the return of the people of Afrin to their homes and restoring Afrin's normal status, we cannot reach a solution,” he said.

The Turkish military and its Syrian rebel allies seized the mainly-Kurdish city of Afrin from the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in March 2018 in a major offensive into the northwest of Syria, where Ankara has carved a de facto buffer zone, according to Reuters.

The SDF, which is spearheaded by the YPG, has been at the heart of the US-backed fight against Islamic State. It has seized all territory from IS militants with the help of US warplanes and special forces.

US support for the YPG has infuriated NATO ally Ankara, which deems the Kurdish fighters terrorists. Turkey says the YPG is an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency in southeast Turkey.

Turkey has carried out two operations in Syria, dubbed “Euphrates Shield” and “Olive Branch,” against the YPG and ISIS in northern Syria.

Reporter’s code: 50101