Syria, Russia Discuss Preparations for Astana Talks

MOSCOW, (ST)- Michael Bogdanov, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, and the Syrian Ambassador in Moscow Riad Haddad discussed on Thursday means of settling the crisis in Syria and preparations for holding Astana talks.

The two sides exchange views about the situation in Syria and efforts to attain political settlement for the crisis, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

  Special intention was given to preparations for the Astana talks on Syria, the statement added, noting that the two officials discussed the facilitation of the inclusive Syrian-Syrian talks in Geneva in accordance with UNSC resolution No. 2254.

Astana Meeting on Syria scheduled for January 23: Zakharova

The number of ceasefire regime violations in Syria is decreasing but terrorists still do not stop their attempts to disrupt the truce, Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday.

“After the ceasefire regime was established on December 30 the signs that the situation improves were seen, and the number of violations tends to decrease,” Zakharova said, according to Itar Tass.

 “Still, terrorists of the [Islamic State] and Jabhat al-Nusra (terrorists groups outlawed in Russia) have not stopped their attempts to disrupt the ceasefire and use all possibilities to disrupt it,” she said.

Zakharova recalled that in late December the terrorists cut off the water supply to more than 5 million citizens of Damascus. “Will our colleagues after this continue calling them ‘moderate.’? When we say about terrorism, this is not only blasts, bombing, suicide-bombers but also deliberately harming the civilian infrastructure.”

The diplomat said the ceasefire opens additional possibilities for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population.

Astana meeting

A meeting in the capital of Kazakhstan on Syria scheduled for January 23 should become a new milestone on the way towards peace in that country, Zakharova went on. 

“We expect the Astana meeting to become a new milestone on the way towards peace and give an impetus to constructive work of all the sides for resuming the political process in Geneva,” she said.

“We expect that the meeting in Astana scheduled for January 23 will take place,” the diplomat said.

“So far, we proceed from the date of January 23. We don’t have any other data so far,” she said.

Hamda Mustafa