Astana hosts another round of talks on Syria

The 21st round of talks on Syria in the Astana format is currently taking place in the capital of Kazakhstan.The country once again provided a platform for dialogue to all concerned parties. Delegations from the Syrian government and opposition are holding bilateral and trilateral negotiations with the participation of representatives from guarantor countries, including Russia, Turkey, and Iran. In June last year, Kazakhstan had announced the conclusion of the Astana Process. However, the guarantor countries again appealed to Kazakhstan with a request to resume the process, underscoring the significance of the dialogue platform and its effective resolution mechanism. Representatives from Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon, as well as from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Red Cross Committee, arrived as observers. As noted by Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, Kazakhstan's activity and importance in international processes are growing, particularly in peacekeeping.

“I would like to express gratitude to the leadership of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry and personally to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for agreeing to host the traditional event. The forum now holds heightened significance amidst all the disturbing events happening in the world, and escalating tensions in the Middle East. The contingent from Kazakhstan, involving 139 servicemen, will participate in UN peacekeeping operations on the Golan Heights. Peacekeepers from the Russian National Guard are also stationed there. I believe that the cooperation between our countries as part of the Syria talks is enhancing and will be helpful,” Lavrentiev said.