ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - President Masoud Barzani on Sunday hoped for a quick stop to the fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), urging all sides to return to previous agreements aimed at stabilizing the country.

Deadly clashes have intensified between Kurdish-led forces and factions linked with the Syrian government in recent weeks, leading to the death of hundreds of civilians, the displacement of hundreds of thousands, and jeopardizing prospects for future relations and cooperation between the Kurds and Damascus.

“We hope that the fighting and tensions between the Syrian government forces and the SDF will end as soon as possible and that all parties will return to the agreements reached earlier to resolve the issues and achieve stability between the Syrian parties,” read a statement from the Kurdish leader.

Clashes have raged on between the Syrian Arab Army and the SDF since Saturday in flashpoint areas held by the Kurdish-led forces on the banks of the Euphrates River, despite Abdi announcing a day earlier that their forces would withdraw from eastern Aleppo in accordance with an internationally-brokered agreement and their commitment to the integration process.

Barzani welcomed a recent decree by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa concerning Kurdish rights, describing it as a “positive step in the right direction.”

Sharaa’s decree includes provisions recognizing Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights, designating Kurdish as a national language that may be taught in public and private schools in Kurdish-populated areas, abolishing the effects of the controversial 1962 census in Hasakah province, and granting Syrian nationality to previously stateless Kurds. It also declares March 21, the Kurdish New Year of Newroz, a nationwide paid public holiday.

Barzani said he hopes the measure serves as a foundation to be strengthened with the consent of all relevant parties and used to guarantee the rights of the Kurdish people on legal and constitutional grounds.

US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi held a series of meetings in Erbil on Saturday with Kurdistan Region leaders, including President Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, amid ongoing clashes in Syria.

Discussions focused on ways to reduce tensions, revive dialogue, and restore stability.

Abdi said Sunday that his forces are continuing efforts to achieve de-escalation with the Damascus government despite ongoing clashes along the Euphrates River, urging public support for SDF fighters as talks continue with international mediators.

Abdi said attacks by Damascus-affiliated forces have persisted even after the SDF announced a withdrawal from eastern Aleppo under a previously brokered agreement, while the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) warned of the risk of a wider conflict, calling for general mobilization.