ASTANA, November 22. /TASS/. The 19th international meeting in the Astana format on Syria opens in the capital of Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
Within two working days, the negotiators will consider the most sensitive issues of the Syrian settlement, including the tasks of financing projects for the early restoration of socio-economic facilities in the country.
The meeting may bring some clarity to the prospect of transferring the meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee from Geneva to another venue.
The day before the negotiations in the Astana format, Kazakhstan held extraordinary presidential elections, which ended with the victory of the incumbent head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Despite the lively internal political events, the republic confirmed plans for a full-fledged two-day program of the meeting on Syria, which will end with a plenary meeting scheduled for November 23, as well as a press conference of the negotiators.
Astana will receive representative delegations from Syria (from the government and opposition) and guarantor countries (Russia, Iran, Turkey). Observers from Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, as well as representatives of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross will also take part in the event.
The Russian delegation will be headed by presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev.
On the eve of the negotiations, the Russian side had already outlined its approach to operation Claw-Sword operation Turkish air forces held in northern Iraq and Syria.
Russia’s presidential envoy Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS that Moscow is in favor of "negotiated solutions" and the search for a settlement based on "mutual recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity between Syria and Turkey."
Experts agree that Ankara's cross-border operation was triggered a recent terrorist attack in the center of Istanbul, in which more than 80 people were injured. The suspect in the attack admitted to having links with the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey, which has an offshoot in Syria called the People's Self-Defense Forces. It is possible that in the near future the Turkish leadership will also decide on a ground operation in Syria
The future fate of the Syrian Constitutional Committee is another sensitive topic on the agenda. Currently, the meetings of its commission have been suspended, in particular due to the fact that Geneva has lost its neutral status by joining the anti-Russian and anti-Syrian sanctions. Among the possible alternatives for holding committee meetings, Presidential envoy Lavrentiev named the capitals of the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain - Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Manama.
Further operation of the cross-border assistance mechanism in Syria will also require a careful discussion. The mechanism was extended until January 10, 2023. Moscow is convinced that it should be replaced with supplies through the lines of contact. As Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted earlier, Russia views this assistance mechanism as a temporary measure and believes that it should eventually be curtailed, and assistance to the Syrians brought in line with the situation on the ground and with the norms of international humanitarian law.
Western sanctions still have a serious impact on the humanitarian situation in Syria. After the Astana "troika" summit, which was held on July 19 in Tehran, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Western sanctions against Syria lead to disastrous results for the people of the republic and urged not to politicize humanitarian aid to that country.