The Syrian delegation headed by Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Susan held on Tuesday a meeting with the Russian delegation headed by the Russian President’s Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev. The meeting comes within the schedule of the 15th round of the Astana talks which is being held in Russia’s Sochi.
Susan asserted that the Astana process could lead to more positive results if the Turkish regime abided by its obligations that it had agreed upon with the Russian side.
The two parties reviewed during their meeting the developments that happened in Syria since the last Astana talks, which were held on Dec. 10-11, 2019, in Nur-Sultan, and violations being perpetrated by terrorist groups from the de-escalation zone in Idleb, as well as the humanitarian aid being offered to Syrians without foreign conditions.
The two sides affirmed their determination to go ahead with fighting terrorism and to work together to halt the terrorist groups’ violations.
In another development, the Syrian delegation met the UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen to discuss the situation in Syria.
The head of the Syrian delegation underscored the need to eliminate terrorism and to end the illegal presence of foreign forces on the Syrian territories as they hinder the achievement of stability in the country.
Susan in addition called on the UN to raise its voice against the unilateral sanctions being imposed on Syria and to condemn measures being taken by separatist groups in Hassakeh and Qamishli cities.
The issue of humanitarian aid, and the necessity to ensure that it does not land in the hands of terrorists, were also on the table.
Activities of the first day of the two-day meeting began with bilateral and multilateral closed-door talks between different delegations. The general closing session of the meetings will take place tomorrow.
Special Envoy Lavrentiev said the 15th International Meeting on Syria within the Astana Format will discuss the support for the efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria and the need to continue the war against terrorism until completely eradicated.
“No middle-way solutions with terrorists, either the Islamic State (ISIS) or Jabhat al-Nusra,” Lavrentiev said in statements to journalists on Tuesday on the sidelines of the International Meeting in the Russian city of Sochi, adding that over the last three months, activating sleeper cells of the ISIS terrorist organization and escalating the attacks launched by terrorist organizations in the de-escalation zone in Idleb have been clear.
He asserted that the US rejected to participate in the 15th International Meeting within the Astana Format, saying “we sent an invitation to our US partners to participate in the meeting, but unfortunately it was rejected as the Americans are currently busy with their internal affairs.”
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.
