The final statement of the 21st round of Astana talks on Syria

ARK News... The Astana Formula countries (Russia, Iran, and Turkey) issued the joint final statement following the meeting of the “Astana 21” formula on Syria, stressing the leading role of the Astana process in promoting the Syrian settlement, expressing their deep concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and calling for a ceasefire.

According to the statement, the Astana Formula countries reviewed the situation in the world and the region, and stressed the leadership role of the Astana Process in promoting a sustainable solution to the Syrian crisis. The countries condemned all Israeli military attacks against Syria, and considered them a violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The countries stressed the importance of continuing efforts to restore relations between Turkey and Syria on the basis of mutual respect, good faith and good neighborliness in order to combat terrorism and create appropriate conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrians with the participation of the United Nations Office and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The statement spoke about intensifying the political process and ensuring the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid to all Syrians, and countries welcomed the efforts made by the guarantors of the Astana formula within the Quartet formula to achieve this goal.

It also stressed the important role of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, which was established with the decisive contribution of the guarantor states of the Astana formula, in implementing the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference in Sochi on promoting the political settlement of the Syrian conflict.

It called on countries to expedite the resumption of the conference's activities and hold the ninth session of its editorial board with a constructive approach from the Syrian parties, reaffirming their determination to support the work of the committee through continuous interaction with its Syrian parties and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Syria, Geir Pedersen.

The countries reviewed in detail the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone and stressed the need to maintain calm on the ground through the full implementation of all existing agreements regarding Idlib. The countries expressed their deep concern about the presence and activities of terrorist groups that threaten civilians inside and outside the de-escalation zone.

The countries agreed to make further efforts to ensure sustainable normalization of the situation in and around the de-escalation zone, including with regard to the humanitarian situation, and expressed their deep concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

The countries referred to the agreement stipulated in the final statement of the tripartite summit on July 19, 2022 to organize a summit meeting in Russia, and agreed to hold the 22nd international meeting on Syria in Astana during the second half of 2024.

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