The guarantors of Astana process on Syrian reconciliation are keeping in touch with the Small Group on Syria, including Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik in an interview.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The guarantors of Astana process on Syrian reconciliation are keeping in touch with the Small Group on Syria, including Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik in an interview.
"At the end of the day, we all have to work together on the same issue ... There is a so-called Small Group that is discussing Syria's issues. We are looking at what they are doing, we keep in touch with them. I would like to remark on the role of French colleagues who work actively on achieving some sort of understanding and building bridges between the Astana format and the Small Group," Vershinin said.
The Russian diplomat said that Moscow was not against it.
"However, the help to the Syrian settlement should be based on the clearly defined principles laid out in the United Nations: commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity of the country, its independence," Vershinin said.
The deputy foreign minister added that it was important to avoid "forcing the ideas upon the people of Syria that are unacceptable for them."
The Small Group urged on September 27 to convene the constitutional committee as soon as possible. The group asked UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura to report on progress no later than by October 31. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged against putting pressure on de Mistura.
