New Round of Negotiations on Syria to Kick Off in Astana

Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov and UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen (AFP)
Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov and UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen (AFP)
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New Round of Negotiations on Syria to Kick Off in Astana

Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov and UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen (AFP)
Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov and UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen (AFP)

The parties involved in the Astana peace process talks on Syria will hold a new round of negotiations next week in the Kazakh capital, according to Syrian and Russian sources on Friday.
The initiative came from the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, who conducted preliminary rounds of talks with the parties before announcing the date. However, Russia seemed less enthusiastic about this round.
On Thursday, Syrian newspaper al-Watan quoted diplomatic sources saying preparations have been completed to launch the 21st round of the talks, scheduled for Jan. 23 and 24.
The sources added that the Syrian government delegation will be headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Bassam Sabbagh.
According to the newspaper, the latest Syrian developments were discussed during the talks that brought Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Pedersen together on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Pedersen touched on Syria's political, security, and economic situation, discussing his initiatives and proposals for the crisis.
Last June, the previous round of talks in Astana focused on confidence-building measures, which included prisoner issues, improving conditions to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees, and the situation in areas not under the Syrian regime's control.
But the main focus was on the normalization efforts launched by Moscow between Turkiye and the Syrian government.
During the talks, the two parties failed to achieve breakthroughs, especially after the government delegation called for Turkish withdrawal from Syrian territory.
The three guarantor states, Russia, Türkiye, and Iran, stressed in a joint final statement the necessity of supporting the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of refugees to Syria.
They called on the international community to provide necessary assistance to facilitate the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of refugees to their places of residence in Syria and to ensure their right to return and be supported.
- Ending the process
Kazakhstan's withdrawal from the Astana talks after hosting 20 rounds since its launch in early 2017 was the most important and striking element of the former round.
At the time, the announcement raised speculation about ending the process, but the three guarantors announced their commitment to continue the talks without specifying a future date or location for future rounds.
Moscow activated its contacts with Astana following the last round, after which the Kazakh side retracted the announcement.
Russia did not officially announce the arrangements for the new round of negotiations.
A Russian diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat that Moscow could only welcome any effort aimed at continuing to bring viewpoints closer, reduce tension, and revitalize communications between the parties.
The diplomat acknowledged that Moscow would have preferred not to rush to set a date for the new round of negotiations, especially amid the escalating tensions in Gaza and developments in the Red Sea.
He indicated that Moscow hoped the new round would be preceded by a good level of preparation, aiming to achieve progress."
However, the diplomat stressed that Russia could not oppose the effort made by the international envoy to Syria, which resulted in setting a date and location for this round.
Novosti news agency quoted the Syrian opposition delegation, headed by Ahmed Touma, as saying that the delegation plans to attend the new round of Astana talks after they received an invitation.
Touma confirmed to the Russian Agency his participation in the 21st round of negotiations, adding that their efforts will focus on resuming the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, resolving the issue of releasing detainees, and allowing the entrance of sufficient quantities of humanitarian aid.
The official said they'd also address stabilizing the ceasefire, resuming the political settlement process through the Constitutional Committee, and advancing humanitarian files to create a safe environment for a political settlement in Syria.



French FM Says Iraq Should Not Be Dragged into Regional Conflicts

 Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP)
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French FM Says Iraq Should Not Be Dragged into Regional Conflicts

 Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP)

France's foreign minister said on Wednesday that Iraq should not be pulled into conflicts in a turbulent Middle East during his first visit to the country, which has suffered from decades of instability.

Jean-Noel Barrot will also visit Kuwait as part of a regional tour to push for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Iraq, an ally to both Tehran and Washington, has been navigating a delicate balancing act not to be drawn into the fighting, after pro-Iran factions launched numerous attacks on US troops based in Iraq, as well as mostly failed attacks on Israel.

"It is essential for Iraq not to be drawn into conflicts it did not choose," Barrot said in a joint conference with his counterpart Fuad Hussein.

He praised the Iraqi government's efforts to "preserve the stability of the country."

"We are convinced that a strong and independent Iraq is a source of stability for the entire region, which is threatened today by the conflict that started on October 7, and Iran's destabilizing activities," Barrot said.

There have been no attacks by pro-Iran Iraqi factions for several months, while Iraq is now preparing to host an Arab League summit and the third edition of the Baghdad Conference on regional stability, which Paris has been co-organizing with Baghdad since 2021.

Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" policy with Iran while engaging in talks over its nuclear program.

Fouad Hussein urged for successful talks "to spare the region from the danger of war," adding that "there are no alternatives to negotiations."

Barrot met Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad, and he is expected later in the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to meet with Kurdish leaders.

Sudani said he welcomed "an upcoming visit" of French President Emmanuel Macron to Iraq, which would be his third trip to the country.

Iraq and France have been strengthening their bilateral relations in several sectors, including energy and security.

France has deployed troops in Iraq as part of the US-led international coalition to fight the ISIS group, which was defeated in Iraq in 2017, although some of its cells remain active.

Baghdad is now seeking to end the coalition's mission and replace it with bilateral military partnerships with the coalition's members, saying its own forces can lead the fight against the weakened militants.

"We cannot allow ten years of success against terrorism to be undermined," Barrot said, adding that France remains ready to contribute to the fighting.

Barrot's regional tour will also help "prepare for the international conference for the implementation of the two-state solution" that Paris will co-organize in June with Riyadh, the French foreign ministry said.

Macron said earlier this month that France planned to recognize a Palestinian state, possibly as early as June.

He said he hoped it would "trigger a series of other recognitions", including of Israel.

For decades, the formal recognition of a Palestinian state has been seen as the endgame of a peace process between Palestinians and Israel.