The launch of the 21st round of “Astana Track” meetings regarding the Syrian file in the Kazakh capital (Anatolia)
The 21st round of “Astana Track” meetings on the Syrian file was launched in the Kazakh capital, Astana, with the participation of delegations from the guarantor countries, Turkey, Russia and Iran, in addition to representatives of the Syrian regime and the opposition.
The Turkish delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Yildiz, will be represented in the meetings - today, Wednesday and tomorrow - while the Russian President's representative in Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, heads his country's delegation, and the Iranian delegation will be represented by the Political Affairs Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ali Asghar Haji.
On the other hand, Bassam Sabbagh, Deputy Foreign Minister, heads the Syrian regime delegation, while Ahmed Touma leads the opposition delegation.
Najat Rushdi, Deputy Representative of the United Nations in Syria, is participating in the meetings, in addition to bodies from Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon as observers.
Today, the Turkish delegation held its first bilateral meetings with the delegations of Russia and the United Nations.
Over two days, the meetings will discuss issues such as the changing regional situation in Syria, efforts to reach a comprehensive solution, and the humanitarian situation there, in addition to mobilizing the international community to facilitate the reconstruction of Syria.
The meetings are also expected to discuss confidence-building measures, such as combating terrorism in Syria, releasing detainees, and revealing the fate of missing persons.
The new round of “Astana Track” talks comes in conjunction with the escalation of tensions in the Middle East region, as a result of the devastating war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip.
The Astana talks began in January 2017, under the auspices of the guarantor countries, with the aim of finding a solution to the political crisis that has erupted in Syria since 2011. The previous round of “Astana Track” meetings was held on June 20 and 21, 2023.
Source: Anadolu Agency