The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Turkey and Russia Mohammad Javad Zarif, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Segey Lavrov as guarantors of the Astana format held the trilateral meeting and consultations with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria Mr.Geir O. Pedersen in Geneva on 29 October 2019.
The diplomats reaffirmed the strong commitment of their countries to the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Syria. According to the Ministers, all parties should respect these principles. They reiterated their strong determination to combat terrorism in all manifestations and to disrupt separatist agendas in the Syrian territory. In addition, the Ministers welcomed the formation the Constitutional Committee and its convening in Geneva on 30 October 2019 as a result of the decisive contribution of the Astana guarantors and the implementation of the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi. They also appreciated the efforts of the UN Secretary‑General’s Special Envoy for Syria.
The launch of the Constitutional Committee, according to the Foreign Ministers, proves that there could be no military solution to the Syrian conflict The diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to advance viable and lasting Syrian-led and Syrian‑owned, UN‑facilitated political process. The Ministers reaffirmed their readiness to support the work of the Constitutional Committee through continuous interaction with the Syrian parties and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria in order to ensure its effective and sustainable work.
The Constitutional Committee should be governed by a sense of compromise and constructive interaction without foreign interference and externally imposed timelines aimed at reaching general agreement of its members that would allow achieving the widest support by the Syrian people.
They also stressed the importance of the broader settlement process moving forward to facilitate safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their places of residence in Syria, to build trust between the Syrian parties as well as to increase humanitarian assistance to all Syrians throughout the country without preconditions and discrimination.
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Photo: Александр Щербак/ТАСС