Transitional Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shar’a issued a decree recognizing the Kurds as an integral component of the national identity and designating the Kurdish language as a national language that may be taught in schools across Kurdish-majority areas.

The decree ends the effects of exceptional measures dating back to the 1962 Hasakah census and grants citizenship to those who were previously stripped of it.

It also declares Nowruz an official holiday and prohibits any form of ethnic discrimination, introducing penalties for incitement to sectarian strife.

In a national address, Al-Shar’a stressed that Syria belongs to all its citizens, urging Kurds not to be swayed by narratives aimed at undermining their unity with the rest of the country.