Results of Syrian National Dialogue Congress Hailed

MOSCOW- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone conversation on Wednesday they were satisfied by the results of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and stressed the importance of fulfilling the agreements, the Kremlin’s press service said.

According to the Kremlin’s statement, they two sides stressed the importance of implementing the agreements reached , which are aimed at the effective progress of the Syrian political settlement based on the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2254, Itar Tass reported.

 They also discussed further coordination of Russian-Turkish efforts on ensuring sustained operation of Syria’s de-escalation zones and also cooperation in the “Astana format,” the press service said.

Zakharova: Refusal of some “opposition” activists to attend Sochi congress a political mistake

On her part, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that the decisions approved by the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi will lay a foundation for movement ahead in Syria at higher speeds.

“The decisions passed in Sochi will become, as we hope, a domain of the intra-Syrian talks brokered by the United Nations in Geneva and on other floors to help find a solution in Syria with participation of Syrian sides, first of all at Astana,” she said. “We hope that will lay a foundation for movement ahead and it is important that the process will step up a gear.”

Russia thinks that a refusal by some Syrian opposition activists to attend the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi was a political mistake, she added. “We are convinced that it is a political mistake. However, the forum’s atmosphere was not marred by those people’s refusal,” she said.

Moscow concerned over situation in Syria

The development of the situation in the Afrin area in northern Syria regarding the ongoing Turkish military operation is raising concerns, and Moscow calls on the parties to show restraint, Zakharova said, noting that several hundred people, including civilians, have been killed during Turkey’s operation in Syria’s northwestern region of Afrin.

“We continue to monitor the development of the situation in northern Syria; it is deeply concerning,” she said. “We again call on the parties to show restraint.”

Kosachev Upbeat on Outcome of Sochi-Hosted Syrian Congress

In the same context, head of the Russian Federation Council’s (upper house) International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said on Wednesday that the results of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held in Sochi are very encouraging, with many important decisions made.

A lot will depend now on the actions by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura. “The results of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress that concluded in Sochi are very encouraging,” Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page.

He noted that the forum had materialized despite attempts to boycott it, derail it or even play down its significance. In addition, the forum’s participants reached an agreement for the future, that is, to set up a committee, which will draft reforms to Syria constitution, and adopted a fundamentally important 12-point statement, “which can be considered the basis for a future constitution.”

“It was possible to ensure a clear link between the negotiations in Sochi and the Geneva process, in no small way thanks to the participation of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura “who ‘consecrated’ the Congress on behalf of the UN and supported its decisions, which are to be implemented in the Geneva format,” the lawmaker noted.

According to the senator, those who did not go to Sochi “risk being left out of Syria’s real political settlement and constitutional process.”

Unique format

Meantime, Leonid Slutsky, chair of the State Duma (lower house of parliament) foreign affairs committee, told reporters on Wednesday  that the Syrian Dialogue Congress held in Sochi is a unique and successful format.

According to the Russian MP, “at last, the constitutional process has started.”

“It is a milestone step that will eventually help the Syrians to take decisions about their country’s future under the letter and spirit of Resolution 2254 of the United Nations Security Council,” he added. “In this context, it is hard to overestimate the decision on setting up a constitutional council and later on, a constitutional commission.”

The lawmaker believes that “that is the road leading to peace and the end of war in Syria.”

“Russia has initially taken that stance and is determined to provide assistance in the Syrian settlement, in particular in the format of parliamentary dimension,” Slutsky said.

Sochi Congress results

The participants in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi adopted a 12-point statement, which outlined the Syrians’ views on their country’s future. It noted that Syria must preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, while only the Syrian people can determine their future through elections. The Syrians also asked the UN secretary-general to provide assistance in organizing the work of the constitutional commission whose mandate will be determined within the framework of the Geneva process.

The delegates to the congress agreed to start work on revising the country’s constitution, to prepare the legal groundwork for the country’s post-war recovery and urged the global community to help restore Syria following its decimation from seven years of civil war.

In their joint statement, the participants reiterated their commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity, the war on terror and religious fanaticism.

H.M