Kurdish Politics Across Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran — 2026-09-24
Turkey's Kurdish disarmament process shows movement, with DEM Party officials expecting "important developments" on weapons decommissioning in coming days while disputing the Ankara's "weapons first" sequencing. In Baghdad, a Kurdistan Region finance ministry delegation arrived for talks on the 2027 budget draft and federal financing, as the KRG presses Baghdad for its share of federal loans. In Syria, republican adviser Mazloum Abdi is in Aleppo to press the return of displaced Kurds and completion of institutional integration after the SDF's dissolution.
Kurdish Politics Across Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran — 2026-09-24
Top developments
Erbil finance delegation in Baghdad for 2027 budget talks
On September 23, a Kurdistan Region finance ministry delegation arrived in Baghdad seeking to discuss the 2027 draft budget and the stabilisation ("fixing") of financial entitlements — a key piece of the Erbil-Baghdad salary-and-oil standoff. Separately, the KRG has officially demanded that Baghdad provide the region's share of any federal loans, tasking three ministries with following up, arguing the region must receive its portion of debt Damascus—sorry, Baghdad—takes on.
KRG to visit Baghdad over political prisoners' salaries
A KRG delegation will travel to Baghdad next week specifically to address the issue of salaries for Kurdish political prisoners — a lingering file from previous conflicts that still blocks financial normalisation between Erbil and the federal government.
DEM Party: disarmament process "hasn't stopped" — but problems remain
DEM Party deputy co-chair Tayip Temel told Al-Arabiya on September 23 that the process with the PKK "has not stopped, but some problems exist," criticizing a "weapons first, rights later" approach as slowing it down. Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan said on September 22 that significant disarmament developments are expected "in the coming days," though no firm date is in hand. Presidential adviser Mehmet Uçum has said PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan is expected to participate in the Disarmament and Strategic Coordination sub-commission, alongside other former PKK figures.
KCK and PKK figures tie disarmament to Öcalan's freedom
KCK executive Duran Kalkan said on September 22 that both disarmament and the PKK's reorganisation are tied to Öcalan's freedom, arguing new laws and a new approach are needed — a hard bargaining line that will test Ankara's willingness to link the legal framework to prisoner concessions. In the same week, Temel reiterated that meetings between state officials, Öcalan and the PKK continue, with "important new developments" expected.
Abdi in Aleppo on Kurdish returns and post-SDF integration
Around September 19, Syrian presidential adviser Mazloum Abdi held meetings in Aleppo about the return of displaced Kurds and completing the integration of institutions formerly run by the SDF into the state, after the August 25 dissolution announcement moved the Damascus accord into a sensitive implementation phase for humanitarian, administrative and service files. A detailed report this week ("The End of Rojava") describes northeast Syria in a liminal state — not fully reintegrated into Damascus, but no longer autonomous.
Local view
- Hawar News (ANHA) reports DEM Party spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan saying meetings between state officials, Öcalan and the PKK leadership continue, with "important new developments" expected in the coming days.
- Am Roje / Rudaw Sorani in Erbil frames the finance ministry's Baghdad trip around the 2027 budget law draft and stabilising financial entitlements, and reports the KRG demanding its share of federal loans.
- Hawar also covered Duran Kalkan's call that Kurdish children in Rojava must be educated in Kurdish — a signal the Turkish Kurdish movement is voicing cultural-rights demands linked to the Syria transition.
Context & numbers
- The KRG finance ministry visit on September 23 is tied to the 2027 draft budget project and consolidation of the region's financial entitlements in Baghdad's budget law.
- The SDF dissolution was announced on August 25, 2026; integration of YPJ units and local institutions remains gradual and incomplete.
- Turkey's disarmament process remains at the sub-commission stage, with Öcalan's expected participation in the Disarmament and Strategic Coordination sub-commission flagged, but no published timetable from either side.
On the radar
- KRG delegation to Baghdad "next week" on political prisoners' salaries — watch for a settlement outcome.
- DEM Party expects public disarmament milestones "in the coming days"; a timing for the first decommissioning events is still unresolved.
- Schemers in Diyarbakir press also flagged the MGK meeting, the six-month legal framework window, and a DEM Party congress (possibly in spring) as the process's critical calendar markers.
- PYD's 23rd anniversary coverage (ANHA, ~Sept 20) framed the party as undergoing "fundamental transformations" with the end of self-administration — watch internal PYD realignments.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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