US lawmaker thanks Abdi and Ahmed for 'integration' with Damascus
US Congressman Abraham Hamadeh held a phone call with Mazlum Abdi and Ilham Ahmed. Hamadeh thanked the pair for their "peaceful integration" with the Damascus government and described Abdi and Ahmed as US partners in the fight against ISIS.
RastinewsRepublican Congressman Abraham Hamadeh, who represents Arizona's 8th district in the US House of Representatives, spoke by phone with Mazlum Abdi, chief advisor for Kurdish affairs to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Ilham Ahmed, who has been nominated for a seat in Syria's People's Assembly.
The call was announced in a statement posted on Hamadeh's office's social media account.
According to the statement, Hamadeh thanked Abdi and Ahmed for their "peaceful integration" with the Damascus government. Describing the pair as US partners in the fight against ISIS, Hamadeh offered his assessment of the new period in Syria.
"They reflect Syria's dynamic mosaic"
Hamadeh's office said the new roles Abdi and Ahmed have taken on in Damascus have helped build a governing structure that reflects Syria's "dynamic mosaic."
It was not disclosed whether the call included a detailed discussion of the integration process, the Kurds' position within the new administration, or constitutional rights.
Neither the SDF, Mazlum Abdi, Ilham Ahmed nor the Damascus government has issued a separate statement on the call.
Abdi and Ahmed's new roles
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed Mazlum Abdi as presidential chief advisor for Kurdish affairs in a decree issued on August 27. The appointment came after the SDF's independent military structure was dissolved and its forces were integrated into the Syrian army.
Ilham Ahmed, who serves as co-chair for foreign relations at the Syrian Democratic Council, had also been reported as a nominee for a seat in Syria's People's Assembly.
Speaking at the People's Palace in Damascus on August 25, Mazlum Abdi announced that the SDF had been dissolved as an independent military force and that the integration of its units into the Syrian army had been completed.
In a separate statement in late August, Abdi said the military integration phase was complete and that the main goal going forward was securing Kurdish rights in Syria's new constitution.