The 22nd international meeting on Syria in the Astana format will commence on Monday in Astana, where participants aim to discuss the evolving regional situation surrounding Syria and efforts towards a comprehensive settlement in the country.
According to the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan, the upcoming Syria meeting will take place on November 11-12. The first day will involve bilateral and trilateral consultations among delegations, followed by continued discussions on the second day. A plenary session and a final press conference are scheduled for November 12.
The ministry highlighted that agenda items will also include “the situation on the ground in Syria, confidence-building measures, such as the release of hostages and the search for the missing.”
Regional Tensions
The situation in the Middle East region remains alarming. As a result of Israeli military actions, over 43,600 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the military operation in the Gaza Strip in October 2023. Tensions are escalating between Israel and Lebanon, as well as between Israel and Iran. Additionally, Israel continues to strike targets in Syria. The Russian Foreign Ministry has emphasized Moscow's strong condemnation of gross violations of Syria's sovereignty, including Israel's provocative strikes on Syrian facilities. Russia has repeatedly stressed the inadmissibility of spreading the current dangerous escalation in the region to Syria.
On October 31, Russian and Syrian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Bassam Sabbagh exchanged views on the regional situation during a meeting in Minsk on the sidelines of the 2nd International Conference on Eurasian Security. The ministers discussed current international issues in light of the ongoing armed escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Lebanon. Russia has consistently pointed out that the growing scale of violence in the Middle East could have global consequences. To prevent this, military actions must cease, and conditions must be created for political and diplomatic resolution.
Unresolved Issues
Apart from the tense regional situation, Syria faces numerous long-standing problems, including the refugee crisis, continued Western sanctions, and a challenging humanitarian situation. Russia has noted that illegal unilateral sanctions severely exacerbate the suffering of the Syrian people and hinder the normalization of the situation within the country. Sanctions also negatively impact the work of humanitarian organizations in Syria. As Syrian Foreign Minister Sabbagh previously stated, sanctions imposed by the US and the West on Syria and many other countries are a tool of interference in internal affairs. He called for condemning this destructive approach, which is used to exert political pressure.
The withdrawal of US troops from Syrian territory and the normalization of relations between Syria and Turkey remain unresolved. Lavrov has previously stated that the Turkish and Syrian authorities are signaling a serious interest in resuming dialogue. Russia will actively facilitate the relaunch of these negotiations, according to the minister. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in turn, has expressed hope for “constructive steps” towards normalizing relations with Syria in the near future.
Moreover, the question of resuming the meetings of Syria's Constitutional Committee remains open. The last meeting took place in May 2022 and concluded with minimal results. A subsequent meeting planned for 2023 did not materialize. It was previously reported that a new venue for the meetings is being sought. Previous sessions were held in Geneva, but Russia has repeatedly pointed out that Switzerland has lost its status as a neutral platform, including due to visa-related issues for delegates. Lavrov suggested that, with the support of regional countries, it would be optimal to resume this process in one of the Arab nations.
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Photo: Bernard Gagnon/GFDL 1.2
Based on TASS materials