Early parliamentary elections could be held in Syria if the regime of Bashar Assad and opposition parties reach an agreement on the new Constitution, deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Thursday.
"If the parties in Syria agree and the results of efforts are approved, elections can be held within the framework of the new Constitution or the reforms in the Constitution," Bogdanov, who is also Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, told reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
He revealed that an international meeting on Syria in the Astana format may take place in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, by the end of June.
"We have plans to hold a new meeting in the Astana format sometime before the end of June," Bogdanov stressed.
The Syrian Constitutional Committee meetings started in October 2019 with 150 members to draft a new Constitution to determine Syria’s future.
The Astana peace process to end the conflict was launched in January 2017 at the initiative of Turkey, Russia, and Iran.
Also on Thursday, Novosti news agency quoted Bogdanov as saying that Russia is continuing to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria.
In response to a question about whether work is currently underway to supply new quantities of Russian wheat to Syria, Bogdanov said that everything is being done properly.
The Syrian government announced Thursday it is keen to buy every “grain of wheat” also threatening to impose harsh measures on those who smuggle wheat out of Syria.
Syria suffers a decline in wheat production, raising fears that a full-fledged bread crisis is on its way in the country.
On Thursday, Minister of Local Trade and Consumer Protection Talal Barazi said that wheat is one of Syria’s strategic materials, adding that his government is keen to buy wheat at the purchase price.
