The final statement of the 16th round of talks under the Astana format, which were held on Wednesday and Thursday, stressed that the guarantor countries renewed their commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity
The statement condemned the Israeli continued attacks on the Syrian territories which violate international and international humanitarian law.
The guarantor countries also confirmed their commitment to the political process, led by the Syrians and facilitated by the UN, according to the security council’s resolution 2254.
The statement stressed rejection to any foreign interference or any artificial timetables for the Constitutional Committee in Geneva, asserting the need of supporting it to guarantee its work sustainably and effectively.
Read Also: Astana 16 Talks Start in Nur-Sultan
The statement expressed rejection of all unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria which contradict the International law, international humanitarian law, and UN charter, especially in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
The statement underlined the necessity to provide humanitarian assistance to all Syrians around the country without discrimination, politicization, or preconditions.
It called on the international community to facilitate the return of the Syrian displaced and refugees to their homeland, in addition to providing the necessary assistance for this issue.
The statement concluded by saying that the seventeenth international round of talks on Syria in the Astana format will be held in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan before the end of 2021, taking into consideration the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nevertheless, some countries still ignore Syrians’ will and continue their aggressive practices
Susan
The head of the delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic to Astana 16, Dr. Ayman Susan, stressed that some countries still ignore the will of the Syrians and continue their hostile practices asserting that the Turkish regime’s continued support to the terrorist organizations in Syria constitutes a violation of the UN Charter and Astana understandings.
Susan said, in a press conference, that the US and Turkish occupation of parts of the Syrian territories represents the most important reasons for prolonging the crisis in Syria, asserting that the two occupiers continue to loot Syrian resources.
He said that the campaign related to the humanitarian situation in Syria represents the ugliest forms of hypocrisy and those who led it ignore that they are the main reason for the suffering of the Syrians due to their support for terrorism.
Susan said that they want to turn the assistance from a tool to alleviate the suffering of the Syrians into a tool for supporting terrorism.
The cutting off of water by the Turkish regime, for more than a million Syrians in al-Hassakeh, is considered a war crime and an extermination attempt, Susan added.
Russia and Iran
After the Final Statement of Astana 16, Russia and Iran reiterated the need to continue the fight against terrorism in Syria until eliminating it, lifting the coercive measures imposed on the country, and supporting efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis in it.
“Guarantor states of the Astana process (Russia, Iran, and Turkey) had always focused during the meetings on the need to preserve Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, reach a political settlement to the crisis in the country, and continue the fight against terror organizations until their total elimination, “ said the head of the Russian delegation to the meeting Alexander Lavrentiev at the press conference in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan on Thursday.
Read Also: Syria: Astana Could Achieve Better Results if Ankara Abides by Its Obligations
Lavrentiev indicated that the current meeting discussed the humanitarian situation in Syria, as the participants stressed the need to lift the coercive economic measures imposed on the country.
“Of course, there must be an end to the use of collective punishment methods against the Syrian people, which we consider defective,” he said.
For his part, Ali Asghar Khaji, head of the Iranian delegation, said in a similar press conference, “In the final statement of the meeting, we stressed on the need to lift the sanctions which exacerbate the Syrians’ suffering and lead to further losses. We also stressed the continuation of the fight against terrorism.”
He pointed out that the Astana track aims to achieve stability in Syria, and will create favorable conditions to overcome other issues.
In response to a question by a SANA reporter on the Israeli continued aggression on the Syrian territories, Khaji said that the Zionist entity practices a hostile approach towards Syria, adding that the guarantor countries affirmed the rejection of the Israeli attacks and called for their cessation.
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.
