Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he expects the next session of the Syrian Constitutional Committee to convene soon.
"This is a good opportunity, I think, at this stage to exchange assessments, opinions and see the way forward, especially since the next session of the constitutional committee, I hope, can be convened soon," he said on Thursday as he opened talks with UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.
The Minister pointed out that the relative stabilization of the situation "on the ground" in Syria is not accompanied by the efforts of the international community to solve humanitarian problems and rebuild infrastructure for the safe return of refugees. Lavrov expressed hope that the situation would change for the better with the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2585 on the extension of cross-border assistance to Syria.
On July 9, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on the extension of cross-border assistance to Syria. The document was prepared jointly by Russia, the U.S., Ireland and Norway. It extends the operation of the only border crossing point Bab al-Hawa on the border of Syria and Turkey for 12 months on the condition that the UN Secretary-General will report after six months on the work of the cross-border assistance mechanism.
The final resolution is a compromise. Earlier, Ireland and Norway introduced their version, which proposed to extend the work of Bab al-Hawa, as well as to reopen another crossing point on Syria's border with Iraq for 12 months. Russia proposed its own option, which would only extend the operation of Bab al-Hawa for six months. However, the UN Security Council did not consider these proposals separately but instead held additional consultations in the morning of July 9, which resulted in a text acceptable to all.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS