Astana 8 Communique Confirms Guarantor Countries’ Commitment to Syria’s Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity

Syria Considers the US and Turkish forces’ presence in Syria  as an aggression and calls for  the forces’ immediate and unconditional withdrawal

ASTANA, (ST)- Head of the Syrian Arab Republic delegation to Astana 8 meeting, Dr.  Bashar Al-Jaafari has stressed that the Syrian government considers the Turkish and US forces presence in Syria as an aggression.

In a press conference following the Astana 8 plenary session which concluded in the Kazakh capital on Friday, al-Jaafari said that Syria urges an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of these  foreign forces which are operating in Syria without the approval of the Syrian government or a UN mandate.

 He reiterated that there isn’t any form of dialogue with the Turkish side because it has supported terrorism in Syria and opened the borders for the flow of terrorist into the country.

He pointed out that the US insistence on keeping its troops in Syria without the approval of the Syrian government is an attack on the sovereignty of Syrian state and it contradicts the rules of the UN Charter and the relevant international resolutions.

Al-Jaafari  asserted that the unilateral coercive economic measures against Syria are badly affecting the living of the Syrian people and they are illegal because they weren’t provided in any Security Council resolution.

He affirmed that Syria will attend the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and “we are sparing no effort to prepare for this event which will constitutes a base for dialogue among the Syrians”.

Syria’s territorial integrity, sovereignty stressed

The Communiqué of the Astana 8 Meeting on Syria has stressed  the commitment of the three guarantor countries of the cessation of hostilities in Syria (Russia, Iran and Turkey) to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kairat Abdrakhmanov, who read the communiqué of Astana 8 meeting, said  that there is a kind of balance between the talks in Astana and Geneva with the purpose of reaching a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

He stressed that eliminating Daesh terrorist organization in Syria has helped boost efforts to find political solution to the crisis.

He said that the cessation of hostilities system in Syria, which is a fruit of Astana process, will continue to be implemented, adding that the sides agreed that the Astana 9 Meeting on Syria  will be held in the second half of February, 2018.

He pointed out that the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian city of Sochi is due to be held on January 29-30, 2018.

Full text of Joint statement by Iran, Russia and Turkey on the International Meeting on Syria in Astana, 21-22 December 2017 as published by the Russian Foreign Ministry website:

The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey as guarantors of the observance of the ceasefire regime in the Syrian Arab Republic:

– reaffirming their strong and continued commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic;

– welcoming progress in the implementation of the Memorandum on the creation of the de-escalation areas in the Syrian Arab Republic of 4 May 2017;

1. Welcome the achievements made in the fight against terrorism in Syria, particularly the defeat of ISIL and imminent liberation of all the Syrian territory from ISIL;

2. Reaffirm their determination to continue cooperation in order to ultimately eliminate DAESH/ISIL, Nusra Front and other terrorist entities as designated by the UN Security Council and to prevent the relocation of international terrorists to other countries and regions;

3. Express joint determination to continue coordinated efforts to ensure that the progress in reduction of violence is irreversible. They underscore the necessity to take urgent and active international steps in order to assist the Syrians in restoring unity of the country, and achieving a political solution of the crisis in accordance with the provisions of UNSC resolution 2254 (2015) through an inclusive, free, fair and transparent Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process leading to a constitution enjoying the support of the Syrian people and free and fair elections with the participation of all eligible Syrians under appropriate UN supervision;

4. Reaffirm their determination to closely interact on a regular basis to support preparation for and convening of the Syrian national dialogue congress in Sochi on 29-30 January 2018 with the participation of all segments of the Syrian society and call on the representatives of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the opposition that are committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-fractional character of Syria to actively cooperate. To this end three guarantors will hold a special preparation meeting in Sochi before the congress, on 19-20 January 2018;

5. Emphasize that they view the upcoming Syrian national dialogue congress as an initiative aimed at giving momentum to negotiation process under the UN auspices in Geneva and facilitating an intra-Syrian agreement based on mutual consent;

6. Adopt, with a view to building confidence between the conflicting parties in Syria, the “Regulation on the Working Group on the release of detainees/abductees and handover of the bodies as well as the identification of missing persons” and the “Joint statement on humanitarian mine action in Syria including the UNESCO list of cultural heritage sites”;

7. Reaffirm their determination to continue implementing the provisions of the Memorandum of 4 May 2017 and other decisions adopted earlier within the framework of the Astana process;

8. Emphasize the need to continue efforts aimed at strengthening the ceasefire regime and ensuring the effective functioning of all four de-escalation areas;

9. Express their sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Kazakh authorities for hosting in Astana the 8th high-level International Meeting on Syria;

10. Decide to hold the next high-level International Meeting on Syria in Astana in the second half of February 2018.

 Hamda Mustafa