The guarantor states of the Astana peace process renew their strong commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and stress the need for cooperation to completely eliminate terrorist organizations.
In the final statement of the 15th International Meeting on Syria within the Astana process held in Russia’s Sochi, the guarantor states rejected attempts to create new facts on the ground under the pretext of fighting terrorism. They also rejected the looting of Syrian oil whose revenues should go to the Syrian people.
They underlined their commitment to achieving progress in the political settlement process led by Syria and reaffirmed their support for the committee tasked with discussing the Syrian constitution.
The final statement emphasized the guarantor states’ rejection of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria, which contradict the principles of international law and the UN Charter, particularly in light of the coronavirus crisis.
The statement condemned the continuous Israeli attacks on Syrian territories, which violate international laws and pose a serious threat to security and stability in the region.
The statement called on the international community to provide humanitarian aid to those in need without discrimination, politicization, and preconditions, and to contribute actively to the reconstruction process in Syria.
According to the statement, the 16th International Meeting on Syria within the Astana process will be held in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan, mid-2021.
Sousan
The Syrian Arab Republic delegation, headed by Assistant Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan, held a meeting with the Iranian delegation, headed by Senior Aide of the Iranian Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji, in the framework of the 15th International Meeting on Syria within the Astana process, held in the Russian city of Sochi.
Both sides affirmed the international community’s responsibility to prevent certain Western countries from imposing unilateral coercive measures, in addition to ensuring that humanitarian aid not be politicized and inhibiting the access of aid to terrorist organizations.
Earlier, Sousan met a Russian delegation, headed by the Russian President’s Special Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, during which both sides agreed on the importance of continuing the work in the framework of the Astana process.
Sousan had also met the UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen to discuss the situation in Syria.
Sousan slammed Turkey for “protecting terrorists” in Syria.
He underlined the necessity of the “Turkish regime’s abidance by the agreements signed with the Russian side for eliminating the terrorist organizations and ending the abnormal situation in the de-escalation zone in Idleb.”
During a press conference in Sochi, Sousan said, “the Turkish regime protects the terrorist organizations in a blatant violation of all the international laws and conventions, by cutting off water to the city of Hassakeh over 18 times, and sometimes, for more than a month. These events amount to the level of war crimes.”
Sousan added, “Syria rejects any foreign interference in the work of the committee discussing the constitution which is owned and led by Syria.”
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.
