The eastern Euphrates area in Syria topped the news headlines at the end of 2020, as Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring against the Kurds shuffled the cards and opened the way to a multilateral rivalry seeking to control the most important area in Syria. The Russians, Turks and Americans have been actively striving to reinforce their military presence in the area, which is around one-third of the Syrian surface area. Most of it is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the US-led international coalition, which are working to cement an understanding with the Russians to prevent new Turkish intervention in the area.

A French envoy visited in early April the northeast of Syria and met with several Kurdish, Arab and Syriac figures, and extended an invitation to the representatives of these components in the SDF-controlled area to visit the Elysee Palace in Paris to discuss the Syrian situation. The visit was followed in mid-April by a similar visit to Qamishli by a French Foreign Ministry delegation. French President Emmanuel Macron had welcomed in April 2019 an SDF delegation and declared offering financial support to cover the humanitarian needs and ensure the stability of the social and economic situation in Syria.

In this context, a member of the Kurdish National Council told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The parties that received the French invitation during the French envoy’s visit to eastern Syria included the Democratic Union Party [PYD] and the Kurdish National Council. This triggered a political brawl between the two biggest Kurdish political groups regarding the members of the delegation that would meet with Macron."

The source noted, "The PYD is trying to control the delegation, while we are requesting equal representation between both parties. Although the idea of the visit is still under discussion, it has not been approved yet. We are working on developing ties with France through mutual dialogue about different issues of the Syrian situation. We consider France as a friend of the Syrian people with all its components, and it was behind the initiative to resolve the inter-Kurdish disputes two years ago.”