DUBAI, UAE - The Syrian presidency issued a statement Sunday warning the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against its calls for federalism, claiming it violates a recent agreement aimed at easing tensions and moving toward a comprehensive national solution.

The Syrian presidency accused the SDF of undermining it by promoting federalism and creating “a separatist reality on the ground.”

“We considered the agreement a constructive step if implemented with a unifying national spirit, away from exclusive or special agendas,” the statement said, adding that it rejected “any attempts to impose a divisive reality or establish separate entities under the guise of federalism or self-administration without broad national consensus.”

On Saturday, one day before the Syrian presidency's statement, Kurdish factions gathered in Qamishli for a Kurdish Unity Conference aimed at unifying the positions of Kurdish parties in Syria ahead of potential negotiations with Damascus. 

The conference, attended by Kurdish representatives from Syria, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and Turkey, along with US representatives, endorsed a 26-article declaration calling for a decentralized Syria and the unification of Kurdish regions within a federal framework. 

SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi emphasized during the conference that the initiative sought “the unity of Syria,” not its partition.

The government also accused the SDF of disrupting the work of state institutions, limiting citizens’ access to services, and monopolizing national resources outside the framework of the state, actions it said risk "deepening division and threatening national sovereignty."

It called on the SDF to “sincerely adhere to the agreement” and prioritize the supreme national interest over narrow or external considerations.