MINSK, November 30. /TASS/. The leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s member-countries have noted Russia’s decisive contribution to wiping out the hotbeds of terrorism in Syria and called for stepping up intra-Syrian dialog with the participation of ordinary citizens in this process, the CSTO leaders said in a statement adopted at the summit meeting in Minsk.
"The heads of state note Russia’s decisive contribution to the elimination of hotbeds of international terrorism, which created conditions for ending the civil war and achieving a lasting political settlement in Syria," the statement runs.
The CSTO leaders appreciated Kazakhstan’s contribution to settling the situation in Syria by offering a platform for international meetings in Astana. The CSTO leaders reaffirmed support for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria. They also came out for the fastest elimination of the terrorist threat and termination of the armed conflict in that country by political and diplomatic means "through a wide intra-Syrian dialog without preconditions and external interference." The statement contains a call addressed to all parties concerned to take advantage of the favorable conditions for stepping up talks within the framework of the Geneva process under the UN auspices."
The CSTO leaders "regard as crucial the idea of convening the Syrian National Dialog Congress and promoting other initiatives aimed at facilitating a political settlement of the Syrian crisis on the basis of Resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council," the document says. The statement underscores the need for stepping up and making truly inclusive "the intra-Syrian dialog with the aim of consolidating all confessional and political components of Syrian society and its traditional institutions, involving ordinary Syrians in efforts to bring about normal political life in the country" and identifying the shape of the state system for the post-conflict period and for the long term perspective.
The CSTO leaders expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Syria and urged support for the process of de-escalation and stabilization of the situation in Syria "by means of assisting economic reconstruction, putting an end to unilateral sanctions, delivering more humanitarian aid to the Syrian population, furnishing support for humanitarian mine-clearing operations, preserving the historical heritage and repairing life support and social and economic infrastructures.".