Syria today: Road connection between west and north-east restored

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AMMAN. KAZINFORM For the first time in six years road connection between the western provinces of Syria controlled by the Syrian army and the north-eastern regions controlled by Kurdish militias was restored, Kazinform correspondent in the Middle East reports.

The attempts of Damascus and Syrian Kurdistan to restore economic cooperation points to the parties' ability to come to a compromise in a peaceful settlement despite deep political disagreements.

The new bus service comes as the result of one of the most important shifts in the Syrian conflict recently, as the border areas controlled by government troops and Kurdish militias were linked to the city of Manbij. The route runs from Kurdish Qamishli to the west through a strip of territories controlled by the Kurdish "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) towards Aleppo, controlled by the government forces. Most of the territories held by the Kurds were recaptured from Daesh with the support of the US-led anti-terrorist coalition.

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The road connecting the Kurdish region of Syria with the government-controlled western provinces brings hopes for the resumption of trade between the two remote parts of this fragmented country. The authorities of Syrian Kurdistan hope that the new corridor will put an end to the economic isolation of their region bordering hostile factions of the Syrian Free Army, supported by Turkey and the Islamic State. For the official Damascus, the corridor opens up prospects for access to fuel and food from the resource-rich northeast of the country.

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"There is now a steady increase in demand for passenger transportation. The first air-conditioned buses were put into operation. And the number of weekly operations increased from two to three. The bus company has established contacts with all parties - the government and the autonomous administration. Both sides contributed to this transport communication in terms of politicS, however, the bus route is a private initiative and is not funded by the government," said the head of the Qamishli office of the bus company Ahmad Abu Abbud.

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The Syrian government believes that any measures that promote contacts between the Syrian regions are useful in restoring peace. And in the near future, the route should become the beginning of the renewal of trade and economic ties between the regions.

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This trend of cooperation may in the long term have a positive impact on the peaceful settlement of the deepest disagreements, given that the parties are still holding conflicting views on the future of Syria. Thus, the political and military forces of Syrian Kurdistan seek to maintain their autonomy in the north in any peace agreement and promote the idea of Syria as a federation. In turn, Assad's side, which controls the western part of Syria, has repeatedly stated its intention to return the entire country under government control. However, despite the history of hostilities, the Kurds and the Syrian government rarely encountered in the course of the war. And in areas where their military interests coincided, they fought aginst common enemies such as Daesh and the factions of the FSA supported by Turkey. Moreover, at present, the Kurdish "People's Protection Units" (YPG) allowed the Syrian government to retain control of the territories in the Kurdish north-east, including Qamishli Airport which serves flights to Damascus. In turn, the government allowed the YPG to retain control over the Kurdish quarter of Aleppo.

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Both sides showed, albeit with some precaution, their readiness for a political transition. "We won't have any problems with the government in Damascus after obtaining Kurdish rights," the Kurdish militia YPG said. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem expressed confidence that "understanding can be achieved."

According to expert Rami Abdulhafez, the mutual interest of the parties in the revival of the logistic and trade ties will contribute to consolidating a fragile peace between the parties, reaching a peaceful settlement of the dispute and preserving the territorial integrity of Syria.

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