ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Syria’s defense minister has expressed “flexibility” to continue dialogue on enabling women to participate in the state’s military institutions, the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) said on Thursday, as integration talks continue. 

A senior YPJ delegation visited Damascus on Wednesday and met with the Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra. The two sides discussed the ongoing integration of the Kurdish-led forces into the Syrian army, with a particular focus on the women ’s-only unit.

The delegation included YPJ leader Rohilat Afrin, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Command member Suzdar Haji, and the YPJ Spokesperson Ruksen Mohamed.

“The minister expressed flexibility to continue dialogue on practical frameworks that would enable women’s participation in the military institution,” read the YPJ statement.

The group’s general command has held “a series of international and local engagements” to ensure the future of women’s presence in security and military institutions.

YPJ Spokesperson Ruksen Mohamed, in a speech on Wednesday, said “we will ensure the presence of women in Syria with the identity of the YPJ,” highlighting the “long history” achieved by the group and its “fundamental” role in the SDF.

The ongoing integration process is outlined in a January 29 ceasefire agreement that would see the Kurdish-led forces, as well as administrative institutions in Rojava (northeast) Syria, join the Syrian state apparatus.

However, the status of the YPJ, a core SDF component, has been a source of dispute due to the clashing ideological principles between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Rojava administration.

While Syria’s current leadership harbors Islamist roots, rising to power after Islamist rebel groups, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled the Baathist regime, the Rojava administration is built on feminist and secular principles that prioritize women’s participation, including its defense institutions.

Syrian authorities have displayed reluctance in allowing YPJ fighters, numbering around 20,000, to incorporate into the military and security apparatus. On the other hand, Kurdish officials have rejected any proposal to disband the group.