The Syrian opposition has a "positive response" to the upcoming Astana format talks and expects to see good results, the head of the delegation of the Syrian opposition to the talks, Ayman Assami, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2021) The Syrian opposition has a "positive response" to the upcoming Astana format talks and expects to see good results, the head of the delegation of the Syrian opposition to the talks, Ayman Assami, told Sputnik.
Scheduled to be held next week in Kazakhstan's capital of Nur-Sultan, the 16th round of the Astana format talks will be attended by delegates of the belligerent Syrian parties, in addition to the "Astana trio" of guarantor states comprised of Russia, Iran and Turkey. Another meeting in this format took place in Russia's Sochi in February.
"Today, the parties are better prepared, so I think that [the talks] should take place in a relatively dynamic format. The response of the Syrian opposition to the upcoming round is positive, and it hopes that Russia will undertake more effective efforts to activate this track and fulfill the terms of its agreements," Assami noted.
Assami expects Russia to play a more proactive role in the upcoming round of talks, particularly in converging the opposing viewpoints of the parties.
"The Russians, in my view, are keen on completing this round because nothing has been achieved for a long time throughout previous meetings. Now there is an international climate, which may contribute to the success of this track," the Syrian politician said.
A recent meeting of Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, where Syria was one of the topics discussed, could provide an impetus to progress in this round, Assami added.
"From a general reading of the reality we are seeing, I personally view the next round of Astana negotiations as different from the rest of the rounds, and good progress can be made," Assami said.
The upcoming round of negotiations aims to address the required preparations for the next round of the constitutional committee's now-stalled work. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier in the day that the focus will be on the committee's drafting group.
In January, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen called the latest session of the committee "a disappointment." A few weeks later, the Syrian opposition said the committee had to move on to the next stage drafting a constitution.
