A new round of prisoner exchanges between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government is scheduled to take place on Sunday, as part of a broader agreement aimed at building trust and fostering cooperation between the two sides.

Bedran Ciya Kurd, an advisor to the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), told Rudaw’s Hussein Omar on Saturday that the focus of current efforts is on the issue of prisoners. “The main work now is focused on prisoners,” he stated, describing the planned exchange as “a gesture of goodwill from both sides to build trust.”

This development follows a landmark agreement reached on Tuesday between the SDF and Syria’s interim leadership. The deal includes a comprehensive prisoner exchange and allows SDF-affiliated internal security forces, known as Asayish, to remain stationed in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood in Aleppo.

The first phase of the agreement was implemented on Thursday, with nearly 250 prisoners exchanged between the two sides. On Friday, Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) — the main military component of the SDF — began a phased withdrawal from key Kurdish-majority areas.

A significant step toward political reconciliation was made on March 10, when SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed a historic agreement with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The agreement includes provisions to integrate the SDF into the Syrian state apparatus, recognize the Kurdish population as an essential part of Syria, enforce a nationwide ceasefire, and enable the return of displaced Syrians to their hometowns.

The developments mark a potential turning point in relations between the autonomous Kurdish administration in the northeast and the central government in Damascus, raising hopes for a more unified and stable post-conflict Syria.