Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that the Astana meetings have reawaken the United Nations-led Geneva process on a political settlement in Syria after being “asleep” since April last year.
In a press conference in Moscow, Lavrov said the Astana negotiations have motivated U.N. representatives to restart efforts aimed at reaching an agreement on direct dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition and unifying the three opposition platforms.
Lavrov noted that the delegation of the armed groups participating in the Astana talks will join the opposition ranks taking part in talks in the Swiss city.
The next step will see an expansion of the range of the Syrian participants in the settlement process by engaging representatives of tribes, as well as of ethnic and religious groups residing in the country, Lavrov said.
The Geneva process has stumbled after radical elements among the opposition groups refused to unite with other opposition platforms pushing for a constructive approach to dialogue with the Syrian government.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
