Russia - Iran - Turkey discuss constitution and "de-escalation" zone in Syria
(Baonghean.vn) - Representatives of the countries guarantor of the Syrian ceasefire, including Russia, Iran and Türkiye, will meet in Sochi today (July 30).
 |
| Illustration: Bloomberg |
The parties are expected to discuss issues related to the establishment of the Syrian constitutional committee, the situation in de-escalation zones, as well as humanitarian issues on the agenda, including strengthening confidence-building measures and the return of Syrian refugees.
On the first day, expert-level consultations will take place. On July 31, there will be a plenary session.
“The participants will exchange opinions on the process of facilitating inter-Syrian dialogue based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference in Sochi. They will continue to discuss the next steps to establish the constitutional committee as soon as possible, which is a key element in promoting the political settlement of the Syrian crisis,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The Russian delegation was led by Russian Presidential Special Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin. The Iranian and Turkish delegations were led by Deputy Foreign Ministers Hossein Ansari and Sedat Onal.
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and delegates from Jordan will serve as observers. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has also been invited. US diplomats have chosen not to attend the conference.
The Syrian government side is represented by Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari. It is not yet clear whether representatives of the Syrian armed opposition will attend.
The previous nine Astana meetings took place in the Kazakh capital. According to Russian President's Special Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev, the decision to hold the 10th session in Sochi was made to add a new dimension to the Astana process, “shifting the focus to the political and humanitarian aspects.”
The fourth session of the Working Group on the release of prisoners, handover of bodies and identification of missing persons will also take place at this conference.
