MESOP MIDEAST WATCH : Panorama of the week… Ankara or Damascus instead of Astana
After the conclusion of the Astana negotiations, sources revealed that the meetings might move to Ankara or Damascus.
WORLD-Middle East 25 Jun 2023, ANHA NEWS DESK – The “last” round of the “Astana negotiations” pushes for Syrian-Turkish normalization
The beginning of the Syrian issue, and in this context, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper said: “Confusion prevailed for some time, on Wednesday, with the conclusion of the work of the Syrian negotiation round in the Kazakh capital, Astana, and in conjunction with the announcement of a final statement “emphasizing the constants of Russia, Iran and Turkey regarding the files at hand, And the path of normalizing relations between Damascus and Ankara was included in the group’s priorities,” reflecting the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s announcement of “the end of the path’s activity” and considering the current “last” round that brings together the parties on Kazakh lands, a remarkable and surprising development that Moscow quickly sought to overcome, by confirming the parties’ adherence to the path that “ it will move to a new platform to complete its tours.”
The details of the Kazakh position were not clearly announced, and whether the parties were aware of it in advance, but the statement of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs seemed surprising to all parties.
>The Kazakh Foreign Ministry proposed making the current meeting of the Astana talks on Syria “the last round of meetings in this format.”
A Russian diplomat concluded that, accordingly, “there will be no need to hold new meetings in Astana,” adding that “it is natural that the meetings will take place after that, either in Ankara or in Damascus, to address all issues related to the Syrian crisis.” He said that this formula contributes to resolving the refugee problem, the situation on the borders, and all other outstanding issues, including in terms of setting a timetable for the departure of Turkish forces from Syrian territory.