Syria’s warring sides are currently meeting in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, with Russia, Turkey and Iran overseeing the talks in a bid to make progress toward a political solution to the bloody conflict, which claimed the lives of more than half a million people, and brought about the severest humanitarian crisis since world war two.
“Today’s meeting is a clear manifestation of the international community’s efforts directed to peaceful settlement of the situation in Syria. Kazakhstan believes that the only way to find the solution to the Syrian crisis is through negotiations based on mutual trust and understanding,” said Kairat Abdrakhmanov, Kazakh Foreign Minister.
The talks are the first time the Syrian opposition and representatives of Syrian President Bashar Assad have come together since the United Nations-brokered negotiations in Geneva were suspended early last year. Nevertheless, organizers of the Astana talks echoed a promise by Russian President Vladimir Putin, that the summit in the Kazakh capital would complement the UN-brokered negotiations in Geneva, which are scheduled to have another round of talks next month; promising to adhere to the UN proposed framework.
“I am confident that the Astana meeting will create the necessary conditions for all concerned parties to find a suitable solution to the Syria crisis within the framework of the Geneva process under the United Nations auspices and will make a worthy contribution to promoting peace and stability in Syria,” added Abdrakhmanov.
Unfortunately, the talks are already experiencing a set back with the Syrian opposition delegation saying it would only discuss ways to salvage a fragile cessation of hostilities, brokered and implemented by Russia and Turkey, which the opposition claims was violated primarily by Iranian-backed militias, fighting in the war-torn country.
