Top diplomats from countries engaged in Astana process on Syria to meet in Qatar
The meeting will also involve Geir Pedersen, the United Nations secretary general’s special envoy for Syria
The foreign ministers of the countries engaged in the Astana process will hold a meeting in the Qatari capital on the side-lines of the Doha Forum amid an escalation of tensions in Syria.
The meeting will also involve Geir Pedersen, the United Nations secretary general’s special envoy for Syria.Syria’s government forces are currently fighting against militants from the Jabhat al-Nusra extremist group (outlawed in Russia) and its allies.
On the morning of November 27, Jabhat al-Nusra units launched a large-scale attack in northern Syria.
On November 30, the Syrian army command said that the army had to regroup in order to protect the lives of civilians and military personnel and prepare for a counterattack.
On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held phone calls with his counterparts from Turkey and Iran. Afterwards, the Russian Foreign Ministry called for discussing the situation in Syria on the Astana platform.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held telephone talks with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts on December 2 and 3. Lavrov noted in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson that a ministerial meeting was scheduled, while Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that it would take place in Doha on December 7.
Russia strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Syria. Zakharova stressed that terrorists would not have dared to launch it without external support; according to the Russian diplomat, “a Ukrainian trace is clear” as far as foreign militants are concerned.
Damascus, in turn, pointed out that it maintained close political and military coordination with Moscow in order to resolve the situation.
The foreign ministers of the countries engaged in the Astana process on Syria are expected to coordinate their approaches to the situation on the ground and develop specific steps to end fighting at the Doha meeting.
Astana process
The armed conflict in Syria has been going on since 2011. The Astana talks were launched in 2017.
The platform brings together Russia, Iran and Turkey – the guarantors of the process aimed at resolving the Syria crisis – along with representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, as well as the United Nations and observer countries (Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq).
