Three Guarantors of Astana Process Meet Today in Kazakh Capital

ASTANA-The three guarantors of the Astana process, Russia, Iran and Turkey, will hold a meeting on Wednesday within the framework of the third round of Astana talks on Syria, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Anuar Zhaynakov told journalists today.

The Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov will attend the meeting, according to Zhaynakov.

The Russian Itar Tass news agency earlier reported that the Russian and Iranian representatives are holding a meeting in Kazakhstan’s Astana at the Rixos hotel.

Russia’s delegation is led by the president’s special envoy for the Syrian settlement, Alexander Lavrentyev, while Iran’s delegation is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Ansari, according to the agency.

 On Tuesday, the delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic led by Bashar Al-Jaafari held consultative meetings with the Russian and Iranian delegations.

In a statement to reporters following his meeting with the Russian guarantor, al-Jaafari said the delegation discussed with the Russian side all preparations to ensure the success of Astana process in order to guarantee that it will produce positive results that match the huge efforts put in by Russia, Iran, and the Syrian government, asserting that the Syrian Arab Republic delegation is working in a positive manner to ensure the success of the third round of Astana meetings.   

Armed Opposition delegation to meet Russia, Iran and Turkey on March 16

Meantime, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s Asia and Africa Department Director General Aidarbek Tumatov announced today that the “armed opposition” delegation will arrive in the evening to join the current talks on Syria.

 The armed “opposition” announced on Monday that it wouldn’t take part in the third round of Astana talks, claiming that the cessation of hostilities was not implemented.

On the sideline of Astana meeting which started yesterday in the Kazakh capital without the participation of the armed groups delegation, head of the Syrian Arab Republic delegation Bashar Al-Jaafari said: “To attend or not, is not the decision of the armed groups, rather it’s their masters’ decision, so this issue is political that has to do with the three guarantors. When one of the guarantors doesn’t implement its pledges, I here mean Turkey, then this guarantor should be asked about the participation of these armed groups.”

Astana meeting will be extended till Thursday and the armed opposition delegation is due tomorrow to hold a meeting with experts from the countries that act as the guarantors of ceasefire in Syria (Russia, Iran and Turkey), according to Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Anuar Zhainakov, Tass reported.

“As for the participation of armed opposition representatives in the talks, representatives of the Southern and Northern fronts are expected to arrive tonight,” he said. “Tomorrow they will hold consultations with experts from the ceasefire guarantor countries (Russia, Iran and Turkey) on compliance with the cessation of hostilities.”

Zhainakov also noted that the three countries’ representatives along with Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, will address the media later in the day.

The international meeting in Astana on the settlement in Syria began on March 14. Delegations from Russia, Iran and Turkey, as well as from the United Nations, the United States and Jordan are working in the capital of Kazakhstan.

H.M