Head of the Syrian Arab Republic’s delegation to Astana Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari expressed relief over the results of the ninth round of Astana meetings on Syria.
“We thank the delegations from Russia and Iran and the hosting state of Kazakhstan for their contributions which made this round a success,” Al-Jaafari said Tuesday.
The senior diplomat stressed that Syria will go ahead in combating terrorism and liberating all of its territories from terrorists or any other aggressors, adding that the Syrian Arab Army’s liberation of Eastern Ghouta from terrorists has made Damascus and its surrounding area secure.
Al-Jaafari clarified that the removal of terrorists from the northern countryside of Homs and the southern countryside of Hama was achieved by the Syrian Arab Army in cooperation with its friends and allies.
Al-Jaafari said that the joint statement by the guarantor states of the Astana process affirms their adherence to the territorial sovereignty, integrity and safety of the Syrian Arab Republic against any foreign side that would violate that. He continued to say that Syria has put an end to the dreams and illusions of colonialist forces that were seeking to divide the country.
For his part, head of the Russian delegation Alexander Lavrentiev said that some countries deliberately use the excuse of eliminating Daesh (ISIS) to stabilize their military presence in Syria, which is totally unacceptable and contrary to international laws.
He added that the upcoming meeting of the presidents of the guarantor states may be held in August or September.
On Tuesday, the Syrian Arab Republic delegation held a bilateral meeting with the Iranian delegation, headed by Senior Assistant to Iran’s Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari, that was included within the framework of the ninth round of the Astana talks on Syria.
Delegation from the Syrian Arab Republic also held a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.
The agenda of the current round of talks was discussed during the meetings, in addition to issues that are of common interest to all three parties.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
