Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara issued a decree to appoint Mazloum Abdi, who was head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, as a presidential adviser.
The appointment, announced on Thursday evening, came days after the SDF was dissolved, a move that completed the integration of tens of thousands of its fighters into state institutions. The US-backed group had led the fight against ISIS.
Mr Abdi's advisory role, a lesser position than the one he held with the SDF, makes him one of several senior Kurdish figures appointed to roles within the state. Sipan Hamo, former commander of the People's Protection Units (YPG), was named Deputy Defence Minister earlier this year.
Ilham Ahmed, co-chairman of foreign affairs for the SDF's political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council, is reportedly set to become a member of parliament. On Wednesday, Hind Kabawat, Syrian Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, congratulated Ms Ahmed over the move.
The issue of the Kurdish unit of female fighters remains unresolved.
The dissolution of the SDF follows an agreement signed between the group and Mr Al Shara in January. The deal was mediated by the US and France and later endorsed by Turkey.
The agreement sought to end hostilities between Kurdish forces and the Syrian government, after fighting in which the SDF ceded large areas of territory in the oil-rich northern and north-eastern areas of the country.
Later that month, Mr Al Shara issued a decree formally recognising Kurdish as a national language that could be taught in schools and guaranteeing Kurdish national rights and cultural freedoms. He also granted Syrian nationality to previously stateless Kurds.
The Syrian Education Ministry on Thursday announced a plan for Kurdish-majority areas that made it mandatory for schools to teach the Kurdish language three times a week.
"The study of the Kurdish language, as a national language, shall be permitted in public and private schools in areas where Kurdish citizens constitute a significant proportion of the population," the ministry said. Most subjects in areas under Kurdish control had been taught in the language.
The ministry added that during the "transitional period", pupils will be able to study social subjects in Kurdish. But it added that the arrangement may change after a year, with those lessons to be taught in either Arabic or English instead.
Kurds in Syria have called for their language to be enshrined in the Syrian constitution, as is the case in neighbouring Iraq. For years, the Kurdish-led administration in Syria governed much of the north-east. It established its own military, security and civilian institutions, with US backing, during the war against ISIS.
American support for the SDF dwindled as Washington established ties with Damascus after the downfall of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad in December 2024.
