ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Ilham Ahmed, a top Kurdish official in northeastern Syria (Rojava), on Saturday announced their willingness to engage in negotiations with Ankara and Turkish authorities, and called on the US to establish a “lasting peace” in Syria and Turkey.

Ahmed, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), joined Istanbul’s “International Peace and Democratic Society Conference” via video conference.

In her speech, the top diplomat revealed that the Rojava administration intends to engage in talks with Ankara, stating “we want to see Turkish officials here with us (in Rojava) and we also want to be in Turkey ourselves.”

She clarified that the objective of potential discussions with Turkey are to secure stability and democracy in the region.

“We are not supporters of war and weapons; we are supporters of peace. We need democratic communal life. From now on, we will insistently stick to our decision for peace and democracy. Everyone must take ownership of peace,” she said.

Ahmed further called on the US President Donald Trump to “establish a lasting peace in Syria and Turkey and raise our voices on the issue of peace.”

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Chief Mezloum Abdi has previously voiced willingness to engage in negotiations with Ankara, despite the latter viewing the Kurdish-led forces as an extension of its now-dissolved domestic foe, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Hosted by pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the conference gathered officials and figures who contributed to the ongoing peace process in Turkey, in order to discuss the process and its developments.

A letter from jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was also read out during the conference, in which the PKK leader said that the group had "fulfilled its historical mission by ensuring the national existence of the Kurdish people,” stressing the importance of rebuilding society on a democratic basis to create “a lasting foundation for peace.”

The peace process in Turkey was initiated in October 2024 by Devlet Behceli, leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who urged Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and call on his group to disarm.

The PKK held a congress in May wherein the group decided to dissolve and disband upon the call of its leader. The group has since then taken two significant steps: Laying down the arms of some of its commanders in a historic ceremony, and announcing their withdrawal from Turkish territory.