An international meeting on Syria in the Astana format will be held in Sochi on February 16-17. It is said in a joint statement by the authorized representatives of Iran, Russia and Turkey on the results of consultations on the sidelines of the fifth meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva. The text of the document is posted on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The statement noted that following consultations in Geneva by authorized representatives of the guarantor countries of the Astana format (Russia, Iran, Turkey), the parties noted the important role of the Constitutional Committee in advancing the political process in the republic.
"[The parties] expressed the view that the Constitutional Committee in its work should be guided by the desire for compromise and constructive interaction without foreign interference and imposition of terms from outside in order to achieve a common agreement of its members, which would allow achieving the widest support of the Syrian people for the results of its work. They confirmed their intention to continue the discussion of the above-mentioned issues during the next international meeting on Syria in the Astana format on February 16-17, 2021 in Sochi," the document stated.
The Syrian Constitutional Committee, formed in accordance with a resolution that was adopted on January 31, 2018, in Sochi by the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue, consists of 150 people (50 delegates each from Damascus, the opposition and civil society). The small group of the committee includes 45 people (15 delegates from each of the three segments). The Constitutional Committee is called to develop recommendations for amendments to the basic law of the republic, after which general elections will be held in Syria under the aegis of the UN.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS