Foreign ministers of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq call for supporting Syria to establish control over its territories and end the presence of terrorist groups
On May 1st, the foreign ministers of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq affirmed in a final statement after their meeting in Amman the need to support Syria to establish its control over its lands, to end the presence of armed and terrorist groups in it and to stop foreign interference in the Syrian internal affairs.
The ministers stressed the importance of cooperation between Syria, concerned countries and the United Nations to formulate a comprehensive strategy that addresses security challenges related to border security and counter-terrorism.
The ministers agreed to form a technical team at the level of experts to follow up on the outcomes of this meeting, and to define the next steps to solve the crisis in Syria.
The following is the text of the final statement:
The foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt held a meeting in Amman with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic.
This meeting marks the beginning of successive meetings to hold talks aiming at reaching a solution to the crisis in Syria, that is consistent with Security Council Resolution 2254, and that addresses all the consequences of the humanitarian, political and security crisis.
The foreign ministers affirmed the priority of ending the crisis and all that it caused in terms of killing, destruction, suffering to the Syrian people and negative repercussions regionally and internationally, through a political solution that preserves Syria’s unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty. They stressed that this solution must also meet the aspirations of the Syrian people, rid the country of terrorism, contribute to creating suitable conditions for the voluntary and safe return of refugees, lead to the withdrawal of all illegal foreign forces from Syria, achieve national reconciliation and restore Syria’s security, stability and important role.
During the meeting, the ministers discussed the humanitarian aspect, and the steps required to achieve progress in efforts to address it, in a way that will directly reflect on the brotherly Syrian people. They also discussed a number of security and political issues.
The Arab ministers and the Syrian foreign minister agreed on the agenda of the talks, which will continue according to a timetable to be agreed upon and that contains:
1- The humanitarian situation
2- The security situation
3- The political situation
The ministers also agreed on the following:
-The delivery of humanitarian and medical aid, that contributes to meeting the life needs of all the Syrian people who need it in all their places of residence in Syria, is a necessity and all efforts must be joined to meet yhe needs in cooperation and coordination between the Syrian government and the relevant United Nations bodies and in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions, including Resolutions 2642 and 2672.
-The Ministers welcome the Syrian government’s decision to open the Bab al-Salama and al-Rai crossings to the United Nations for the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid after the earthquake that struck Syria on February 6, 2023.
-The voluntary and safe return of refugees to their country is a top priority, and the necessary steps must be taken to start implementing this process immediately.
-Enhancing cooperation between the Syrian government and countries hosting refugees, and coordinating with relevant United Nations bodies, to organize voluntary and safe returns for refugees and end their suffering, according to specific procedures and a clear time frame.
-The Syrian government, in coordination with the relevant United Nations bodies, begins to identify the needs to improve public services provided in the areas of refugee return to consider providing Arab and international contributions to them.
-Intensifying work with the international community and the United Nations to push for the acceleration of the implementation of early recovery projects, including in areas where refugees are expected to return, leading to improving the infrastructure necessary to provide a decent life for refugees who choose to return voluntarily to Syria, including building schools and hospitals.
-Cooperation between the Syrian government and the Jordanian government, in coordination with the relevant United Nations bodies, in organizing a voluntary return process for about a thousand Syrian refugees in Jordan, so that the Syrian government guarantees the provision of the necessary conditions and requirements for their return.
-Enhancing cooperation to advance efforts to exchange abductees and detainees and search for missing persons according to a studied approach with all relevant parties and international organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, in coordination with the Syrian government.
-Cooperation between the Syrian government, the concerned countries and the United Nations in formulating a comprehensive strategy to enhance security and combat terrorism in all its forms and organizations, and to end the presence of terrorist organizations in the Syrian territories and neutralize their ability to threaten regional and international security.
– Working to support Syria and its institutions in any legitimate efforts to establish its control over its lands, impose the rule of law, and end the presence of armed and terrorist groups on Syrian lands, and stop foreign interference in Syrian internal affairs, in accordance with the provisions of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
-Strengthening cooperation between Syria and neighboring countries and countries affected by drug trafficking and smuggling across the Syrian border with neighboring countries, in line with Syria’s Arab, national and international commitments in this regard.
In this context, Syria will cooperate with Jordan and Iraq in forming two separate joint political/security working groups within a month to identify the sources of drug production and smuggling in Syria, and the parties that organize, manage and implement smuggling operations across the borders with Jordan and Iraq, and take the necessary steps to end smuggling operations, and put an end to this escalating danger to the entire region.
-Agreeing on effective steps to address security challenges related to border security, by establishing effective coordination mechanisms between the Syrian military and security services and their counterparts in the neighboring countries.
-Working to resume the work of the Constitutional Committee as soon as possible, and in the context of political steps aimed at achieving comprehensive national reconciliation.
– The countries participating in the meeting work with brotherly countries and the international community to meet the positive steps of the Syrian government with similar positive steps, in order to build on what has been achieved, and to gradually reach a political solution that ends the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people and the catastrophic consequences of the Syrian crisis.
-The ministers agreed to form a technical team at the level of experts to follow up on the conclusions of this meeting and determine the next steps to solve the crisis in Syria and address all its repercussions.
The ministers will communicate with brotherly Arab countries, with friendly countries and with the United Nations to inform them of the outcomes of the meeting, which was agreed to be held during the consultative meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt in Saudi Arabia on April 14, 2023.
The ministers thanked the Kingdom of Jordan for the good reception and hosting. The foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt expressed their appreciation for the positive involvement shown by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic, in discussing the initiatives and steps presented during the meeting.
The ministers called on the Syrian Arab Republic to continue with taking necessary steps and procedures to address all the repercussions of the crisis in order to reach a political solution that ends the crisis and ends the suffering of Syria and the honorable Syrian people.
al-Mohammad/ Inas Abdulkareem