Loyalist Al-Thawra reports on the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s statement to the UN calling on the international community to end Turkish aggression after forces crossed into northern Syria
Lebanese website Al-Modon comments on the fracturing of opposition forces in Syria’s northern provinces as internal fighting forces factions to side with one of the two main rebel groups, Ahrar al-Sham or Al-Qaeda’s affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham
Saudi-owned Al-Hayat details the recommendations inside the separate Kurdish and Russian draft constitutions, which call for greater autonomy for Kurds and a more decentralized government, while also acknowledging the multi-ethnic make-up of Syria’s demography
Facing discrimination, uncertainty and a lack of work, some Syrian youths are preferring to remain behind instead of migrating from the shores of Turkey to Europe, while others are weighing the cost of returning to Syria altogether, Al Gherbal writes
Souriatna speaks to women who have been forced to remain inside Turkey indefinitely, often with children and without an income, while their applications for reunification with husbands and fiances are reviewed by European governments
Syrian government’s head negotiator speaks to the press about the success of the talks in Kazakhstan’s capital, lauding the efforts of allies Russia and Iran in reaching an agreement to form a ceasefire monitor
Assad regime negotiator Bashar Jaafari calls for respecting nation-wide ceasefire and the closure of borders with Turkey on first day of talks in the Kazakh capital, government-run newspaper reports
Alsouria Net speaks to insider at recent meetings between Turkish representatives and the Syrian armed opposition, in which most major rebel groups — except Ahrar al-Sham — agreed to attend the negotiations with the Assad regime in Astana next week
Iqtissad speaks to experts on why recent changes to Turkey’s new citizenship law, designed to attract large sums of foreign money, are unlikely to persuade wealthy Syrians to invest millions into the country
Loyalist Al-Watan newspaper writes that Erdogan’s mounting domestic and international problems will force the Turkish president to accept that the only way to restore his regional standing will be through rapprochement with Assad
Writing for All4Syria, Walid Bunni urges opposition factions attending the upcoming talks in Astana to resist foreign pressure for short-term gains
How will the Syrian opposition go to Astana and what are the issues to watch out for? Political opposition and religious figures speak with Alsouria Net about what strategic changes must be made in order to emerge successful
Iqtissad speaks with local traders and officials about how the quiet border town near Turkey blossomed into one of the Syrian opposition’s key trading hubs in the area
Deputy head of the Syrian Interim Government expresses hope that a Trump presidency will contribute to Turkey’s efforts to ensure a successful ceasefire in Syria
Media sources report strikes targeted Al-Bab city and a number of other towns, killing nine people and injuring scores more
What Moscow is trying to achieve with the political settlement depends to a large extent on the Turkish and Iranian positions, and on the possibility of reaching clear agreements between these actors amid independent efforts to direct their battles in ways which achieve only their interests
Russia is not serious in its wish to impose a ceasefire, Walid al-Bunni argues
Russia’s acknowledgment of the armed opposition is one of the requirements of profiting politically from the victory in Aleppo. This means that transforming the military victory into a political settlement requires recognizing the enemy before sitting with him and agreeing to a solution to the conflict.
Around 600 Syrians try every day to cross into Turkey as fears mount that the regime and its allies may be preparing an attack on Idleb
Group claims responsibility for New Year’s attack that killed 39 people in Turkey’s largest city, describing the gunman as “a hero soldier of the caliphate”
