ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Friday stressed that the Syrian crisis can only be resolved through dialogue, not militarily, announcing their willingness to integrate into the Syrian state structure based on mutual agreement with the new Damascus administration.

Abdi’s remarks came during a meeting in the city of Raqqa with military commanders of the SDF and the Internal Security Forces in northern and eastern Syria (Asayish), as well several local and tribal leaders.

“The Syrian crisis can only be resolved through Syrian-Syrian dialogue,” a statement from the SDF cited Abdi as saying, adding that they have reached an agreement with Damascus to “rule out a military solution to outstanding issues.”

The SDF chief also announced plans to form a “regional delegation,” which would include all local communities of northern and eastern Syria, for dialogue with the new government in Damascus regarding the future of the region and the country as a whole.

During a conference declaring the victory of the Syrian revolution in late January, the new Damascus administration announced that all armed factions will be dissolved and integrated into the state institutions.

The dissolution of the armed factions would also apply to the SDF, which currently control the bulk of northeastern and eastern regions of Syria, amounting to a quarter territory of the country.

Abdi said that the SDF are “open to integrating the institutions of the Autonomous Administration into the Syrian state structure, but only based on the principle of mutual agreement and following the initiation of dialogue with Damascus.”

Syrian Defense Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra told reporters in January that the door for negotiations with the SDF is “currently open,” but stressed “if we have to use force, we will be ready.”

Formed in 2015, the SDF is considered the Kurdish de facto army in Syria.