Iran Hopes Astana Process Would End Syria Crisis

Tehran recently hosted a two-day expert meeting attended by representatives of Russia, Turkey, the United Nations, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The meeting was part of the International Meeting on Syria, also known as Astana Process. In a communique released after the meeting, the Iranian foreign ministry reaffirmed the necessity of dealing with all aspects of the Syrian crisis at the same time, and expressed the hope that the Astana Process would put an end to the Syrian crisis.

Here is the full text of the communique:

In the framework of the International Meeting on Syria (Astana Process), Tehran hosted the Expert Meeting and the meetings of the Joint Group by the three Guarantor States, on April 18-19, 2017.

In Tehran meetings, delegations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Turkish Republic discussed the draft documents proposed to the three parties, including documents pertaining to the ceasefire regime (declared on 30 December 2016 in Syria) and its implementation, exchange of detainees and abductees. A delegation of experts from the United Nations joined the trilateral meetings as observers, bringing in invaluable expertise and technical assistance.

The Tehran meeting was held in preparation for the 4th International meeting on Syria, due in Astana on May 3-4, 2017. All delegations agreed to hold next expert-level meeting prior to the high-level meeting on May 2nd.

Reaffirming the necessity of dealing with all aspects of the Syrian crisis at the same time – military aspect and combat against terrorism, finding a political solution through intra-Syrian agreements and the humanitarian aspect – the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its hope that the Astana Process and other international efforts would bring an end to the Syrian conflict as soon as possible and pave the way for an effective and inclusive combat against terrorism which is a demand of the international community.