Syria’s Foreign Ministry has issued a pointed critique of narratives surrounding national unity and dialogue in the country’s northeast, arguing that repeated affirmations of Syria’s territorial integrity do not match conditions on the ground. 

In comments carried by state news agency SANA, a senior ministry source said that northeast Syria continues to operate through “administrative, security, and military institutions outside the framework of the state,” a situation that “entrenches division rather than addressing it.” 

The ministry framed the issue as structural rather than rhetorical, emphasizing that parallel governance undermines the concept of unity regardless of public messaging.

The source underscored that these arrangements persist years into the conflict and remain unchanged despite repeated political statements.

According to the ministry, the existence of non-state institutions effectively operating independently in one geographic zone contradicts claims that Syria functions as a single sovereign entity.

A central focus of the ministry’s criticism was the agreement reached on March 10, which envisaged steps toward integrating northeast Syria’s institutions into those of the Syrian state. 

The source said that talk of integration has remained confined to “theoretical statements” without implementation measures or clear timelines. 

The absence of a schedule, milestones, or enforcement mechanisms was cited as grounds for skepticism about the seriousness of commitments made under the March 10 framework.

The ministry added that despite ongoing references by the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to dialogue with Damascus, discussions have not produced tangible outcomes. 

The source said these talks have yielded “no concrete results,” and suggested the dialogue narrative is being used for media purposes and to absorb political pressure, rather than to enable a transition to implementation.

Economic control, particularly over oil, was highlighted as another test of credibility. 

The ministry said statements by SDF leaders claiming that oil resources belong to all Syrians “lose credibility” as long as the sector is not administered through state institutions and revenues do not enter the national budget. 

In this context, the ministry argued that claims of convergence in views remain “without tangible value” unless translated into formal agreements with defined mechanisms and timelines.

The critique extended to border crossings and military arrangements. 

According to the source, the continued presence of armed formations outside the Syrian Arab Army, operating under independent command structures and with external links, infringes sovereignty and obstructs stability. 

The same logic was applied to unilateral control over crossings and borders, which the ministry said are being used as negotiating tools rather than managed as sovereign assets.

Finally, the ministry addressed proposals for decentralization, warning that the current discourse goes beyond administrative decentralization into political and security decentralization. 

Such a shift, it said, risks formalizing “de facto entities” and threatening the unity of the state. 

The source also rejected claims that northeast Syria is governed by its local population, arguing that political exclusion, monopolization of decision-making, and lack of genuine representation undermine assertions of inclusive local governance.