America News Agency

Addressing Kurdish citizens, President Ahmed Shara said, “Do not believe divisive narratives; anyone who harms you is our adversary. We seek Syria’s safety, development, and unity.”

He added, “We are issuing a special decree that will enshrine your rights and particularities in law, opening the door to safe return and full participation in building a single homeland.”

Decree No. 13 of 2026 states that Syrian Kurdish citizens are a fundamental and integral part of the Syrian people, and that their cultural and linguistic identity is an inseparable component of Syria’s unified national identity.

The decree affirms the state’s commitment to preserving cultural and linguistic diversity and guarantees Kurdish citizens’ rights to sustain their heritage and arts and to develop their mother tongue.

Kurdish is recognized as a national language and may be taught in state and private schools in areas with a dense Kurdish population as an elective subject or within educational-cultural activities.

Exceptional laws and measures stemming from the 1962 census in al-Hasakah province are repealed; all residents of Kurdish origin in Syria, including those with closed registrations, will be granted Syrian citizenship and full equality.

The decree also proclaims March 21, Newroz, a national holiday symbolizing spring and brotherhood, with a paid public holiday nationwide; media and educational institutions are required to adopt an inclusive national discourse, and any discrimination on ethnic or linguistic grounds is prohibited.

The decree entered into force on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.