Syria meeting of Turkey, Russia, Iran ends in Sochi

Syria meeting of Turkey, Russia, Iran ends in Sochi

Astana peace process guarantors met for 2-day talks after recent failures of Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva

By Sena Guler

ANKARA (AA) – Convened to discuss the situation on the ground in Syria, the meeting of Turkey, Russia and Iran ended on Wednesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

“The fifteenth round of the International Meeting on Syria in Astana format was held on 16-17 February 2021 in Sochi, Russian Federation,” the ministry said in a written statement.

During the meeting, “the current situation in the political process within the context of the Constitutional Committee as well as the developments in Idlib and the east of Euphrates were mainly discussed,” it said.

The meeting came soon after the recent failures of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva in January.

The Sochi meeting reaffirmed determination to support the committee’s work through continuous interaction with the Syrian parties, the committee delegates and Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, to ensure its sustainable and effective functioning, the ministry said.

“The Parties also underscored the importance of adhering to the Terms of Reference and Core Rules of Procedure in order to make progress in Committee’s work and to implement its mandate of preparing and drafting a constitutional reform,” the statement read.

Turkey also highlighted the necessity for a “structured work plan and methodology” for the committee to function efficiently.

Threats against the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria and the national security of neighboring countries, were rejected in the meeting.

The communique added that the meeting also underlined that “opportunistic and illegitimate attempts” in the country under the pretext of counter-terrorism were unacceptable.

“Increasing terrorist acts in Syria which resulted in loss of innocent lives were condemned and the concern on rising attacks against civilians in the northeast of Syria was expressed,” it said.

The parties also reiterated commitment to maintaining calm on the ground by implementing deals on Idlib, northwestern Syria. “We emphasized our expectation of cessation of cease-fire violations and attacks targeting civilians,” Turkey’s statement noted.

“The Working Group on the Release of Detainees/Abductees, Handover of Bodies and Identification of Missing Persons also convened in the margins of the meeting. The future activities to develop cooperation regarding the mutual and simultaneous release of persons detained by the opposition groups and the regime were also discussed in the meeting,” the ministry said.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee meetings, which started in October 2019 with 150 members, are the first concrete step to draft a new constitution to determine Syria’s future.

The Astana peace process to end the Syrian conflict was launched in January 2017 at the initiative of Turkey, Russia, and Iran.

The meetings of Astana guarantors also contribute to the advancement of the UN-led diplomatic process in Geneva.

The conflict in Syria began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

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