Bogdanov: Security and Counter-Terrorism Issues Top The Agenda of The Astana Meeting

The Special Envoy of the Russian President for the Middle East and African Countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, announced today Tuesday the 7th of December 2021 that the issues of security and combating terrorism will be at the top of the agenda of the international meeting in the Astana format on Syria in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan.

Bogdanov stated to reporters in Moscow that “Security issues, combating terrorism and operating mechanisms to prevent accidents will top the agenda,” adding that “the meeting will focus on analyzing how to implement the cessation of hostilities in Syria, especially in Idlib and the surrounding area.”

The Russian diplomat indicated that the talks will also discuss humanitarian issues and the problem of Syrian refugees, noting that “a broad agenda has been planned for talks in the Astana format.”

For his part, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Ipek Smadyarov, announced earlier today the date of the international meeting in the Astana format on Syria in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan, on December the 21st and the 22nd 2021.

It is noteworthy that the Astana meetings in the Kazakh capital were launched early in 2017. 16 meetings were held, one of them in the Russian city of Sochi, and in their entirety, they affirmed the firm commitment to preserving Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and continuing the war against terrorist organizations until their final defeat.