The 17th Meeting on Syria in the Astana Format continued its activities for the second day through holding a number of meetings between different participating delegations.

Today, the Syrian Arab Republic delegation, headed by Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Dr. Ayman Sousan, started its activities by holding a meeting with the Iranian delegation, headed by Ali Asghar Khaji, Senior Assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs.

Talks during the meeting revolved around the course of the current round of meetings in the Astana Format and the talks that the two delegations had with the participating delegations, which focused on the developments in the situation in Syria.

Dr. Sousan expressed Syria’s appreciation for Iran’s supportive stances in the face of what it is facing, stressing that the biggest obstacle to the consolidation of stability in Syria and the elimination of the remnants of terrorist organizations lies in the US and Turkish occupations and the policies they adopt in violating international law, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sousan called on the international community to assume its responsibilities in lifting the illegitimate unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people, which affect the life and livelihood of the Syrian citizens, and to work on ending the illegitimate presence of the Turkish and US occupation forces on Syrian territory.

Khaji affirmed the congruence of the two sides’ views on the situation in Syria, reiterating Iran’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, its absolute rejection of all forms of interference in Syrian affairs, and its continuation to stand by Syria in the face of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on it.

Other delegations will hold bilateral and tripartite meetings to coordinate positions on the points on the meeting’s agenda, in order to draft the final statement, which is issued before noon today and published on the internet without holding a final session of the meeting, taking into account the precautionary measures taken to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

It is expected that individual press conferences will be held for the heads of some of the participating delegations after the publication of the meeting’s final statement.

On Tuesday, the Syrian Arab Republic delegation, headed by Dr. Sousan, held a meeting with the Russian delegation, headed by Russian President’s Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, and another meeting with the delegation of the UN in the framework of the 17th Meeting on Syria in the Astana Format which started activities on Tuesday in the Kazakh Capital of Nur-Sultan.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)

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Syria, Russia discuss joint work to support return of the displaced

Syria and Russia on Tuesday discussed means of joint work and the exerted efforts to support the return of the displaced Syrians to their villages and cities, in addition to improving the humanitarian and economic reality in different Syrian provinces.

That came during a meeting on Tuesday between Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Hussein Makhlouf and Dmitry Sablin, Russian-Syrian Parliamentary Friendship Committee in the Russian State Duma and the accompanying delegation.

Minister Makhlouf affirmed that both sides are working jointly at the Syrian-Russian coordination ministerial bodies for the return of the displaced Syrians, and there is a close cooperation in various domains.

He noted that the Syrian state has been working on providing a supportive environment for the return of the displaced and to secure their stability in their cities.

Makhlouf also indicated to the general amnesty decrees that have been recently issued and the legislations that help promote the economic, social, living and service reality in the country.

In turn, Sablin hailed the efforts made by the Syrian government for providing services, reconstruction processes and establishing health, educational and power facilities.

He affirmed that Russia continues to provide humanitarian aid to Syrian citizens in different provinces.

The interventions of the members of the Russian delegation focused on the importance of supporting the teaching of the Russian language in Syrian schools and universities and the possibility of achieving trade exchange between the Russian regions and Syrian provinces, in addition to benefiting from the natural resources in each of them.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)