The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday, October 9, that it is preparing to hold a new round of Astana talks on Syria after a ten-month hiatus.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin stated that preparations are currently underway to organize the 22nd meeting within the Astana process regarding Syria in Kazakhstan’s capital, as reported by the Russian TASS news agency.
Vershinin emphasized that Moscow considers the Astana format on Syria to be highly important and positive.
The last round of the Astana process was held on January 25 of last year, with the participation of delegations from the guarantor countries (Russia, Turkey, Iran), and the delegations of the regime and opposition, along with Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq as observers, in addition to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The participating parties agreed at the 21st round of Astana to hold the 22nd round of negotiations regarding Syria in Kazakhstan’s capital during the second half of this year.
The Astana process began in January 2017, and over 21 previous rounds, meetings in the process have been held with the presence of leaders from three countries, two of which are allied with the Syrian regime politically, militarily, and economically (Russia and Iran), and another that has since the end of 2022 moved towards political rapprochement with it (Turkey), alongside representatives of the Syrian regime and opposition and observers.
Through this process, the participating countries reached “de-escalation” agreements, which Russia has violated several times, taking control of areas in Syria that were included in these agreements.
In contrast, the United States announced its boycott of the Astana process since the 15th round, which was held in February 2021, after having attended previous rounds as an observer.
At that time, the US ambassador to Kazakhstan, William Moser, stated that his country does not plan to return as an observer to the so-called Astana format and considers the Geneva talks under the auspices of the United Nations to be the best way to resolve the situation in Syria.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that it would be appropriate to continue the Astana format, combat terrorism, and do everything in our power to return the situation to normality in this crucial direction for us.
In July, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that “normalizing relations between Turkey and Syria” is vital for reaching a comprehensive resolution in Syria and enhancing regional security.
Zakharova pointed out that the Astana format is the only effective international mechanism for developing a peaceful solution in Syria, adding, “We are determined to continue our close cooperation with our Turkish partners within the Astana format,” indicating that the upcoming round of Astana could be the key to normalizing relations between Ankara and Damascus.