The Turkish, Russian and Iranian delegations, as well as the representatives from the Syrian opposition and Bashar Assad’s government, came together for a two-day round of the Astana talks in the Kazakh capital to discuss ongoing efforts for a permanent solution to the Syrian crisis.
Türkiye is represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yıldız, while Russia is represented by its Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, Iran by Ali Asghar Khaji, a senior adviser to the Iranian foreign minister on special political affairs, the Syrian opposition by Ahmet Toma and the regime by deputy foreign minister Bassam Sabbagh.
Moreover, delegations from Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, which have observer status, also attend the talks, which are also attended by the United Nations Deputy Special Representative for Syria Najat Rochdi.
The sides will discuss the development of the regional crisis surrounding Syria, efforts for a comprehensive solution and the humanitarian situation in Syria, as well as mobilizing the efforts of the international community for the reconstruction of Syria within the framework of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2642.
The Astana peace process is the ensemble of initiatives and plans launched in 2017 under the guarantors Türkiye, Russia and Iran to resolve the Syrian civil war, which began in early 2011 when the Bashar Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protestors with unexpected ferocity. The war displaced nearly 7 million people and caused the deaths of over 300,000 people in total.
The summit is convening upon the request of guarantor nations, the Kazakh ministry noted.
Kazakhstan, which has hosted the meetings since the start of the process to varying results, was more reluctant to continue the talks when the nations last assembled in June 2023, with Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Kanat Tumysh unexpectedly calling for the conclusion of the process, saying its goal had been achieved "considering Syria’s return into the Arab League."
Arguing that the process "wasn’t yet over," the Russian negotiator had responded by suggesting that Russia, Türkiye and Iran could take turns hosting the meetings, although neither Ankara nor Tehran floated such an idea.
At the 20th round of talks, a roadmap for the normalization of ties between the Damascus-based regime and Ankara was also on the agenda, besides the release of hostages and missing persons, the humanitarian situation, the rebuilding of Syria and the establishment of conditions for the return of Syrian refugees were also discussed.
However, the most prominent topic was counterterrorism efforts in Syria, where terrorist groups, including Daesh, the PKK and the YPG, rose to prominence amid the conflict.