The agreement between the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, and the interim president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was welcomed by the Kurds and their political parties, including the Kurdish National Council in Syria.

The image of the two men meeting, having discarded their military uniforms and put on suits, illustrates how leaders can seize the moment and opt for peace over war.

The Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which controls much of Syria's oil-rich northeast, signed a deal with the Damascus government to join Syria's new state institutions.