The three guarantor countries of the Astana process, “Russia, Iran and Turkey,” reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic.
According to a statement published by Russian Foreign Ministry on its website on Monday, representatives of Russia, Iran and Turkey held a tripartite meeting on the sidelines of the fifth round of the committee. During that meeting, they discussed the constitution, which was held in Geneva from January 25 to 29, as well as consultations with Syrian delegations and the UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.
The guarantor states stressed their readiness to continue support for the work of the committee through permanent cooperation with the Syrian parties, and Pedersen as a facilitator, to ensure the work of the committee permanently.
They also affirmed their intention to continue discussing the above-mentioned issues in the course of the next round of the Astana talks due on February 16-17 in Sochi.
Pedersen announced in a press conference last Friday the conclusion of the committee’s fifth round of meetings to discuss the constitution without making progress. Pedersen added that he intends to hold a number of meetings in preparation for the next round without setting any date.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
