The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of
Turkey as guarantors of the Astana format:
1. Reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence,
unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and to the
purposes and principles of the UN Charter;
2. Highlighted that these principles should be universally respected and
that any action that might violate them and undermine achievements of the
Astana format should be avoided;
3. Rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the
pretext of combating terrorism and expressed their determination to stand
against separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Syria as well as the national security of
neighboring countries;
4. Discussed the current situation on the ground in Syria, took stock of
the recent developments following their last meeting in Sochi on 30-31 July
2018 and underscored their determination to strengthen their trilateral
coordination in light of their agreements;
5. Examined in details the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area and
reaffirmed their determination to fully implement the Memorandum on
Stabilization of the Situation in the Idlib De-escalation Area of 17
September 2018. In this regard they expressed their concern with the
ongoing violations of the ceasefire regime, and declared that, as
guarantors of the ceasefire regime, they would step up their efforts to
ensure observance with it, including by enhacing work of the Joint
Iranian-Russian-Turkish Coordination Center. They stressed the importance
of a lasting ceasefire while underlining the necessity to continue
effective fight against terrorism. They also emphasized that under no
circumstances the creation of the above-mentioned de-escalation area should
undermine the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of
the Syrian Arab Republic;
6. Reaffirmed their determination to continue cooperation in order to
ultimately eliminate DAESH/ISIL, Nusra Front and all other individuals,
groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al‑Qaeda or DAESH/ISIL as
designated by the UN Security Council. They called upon all armed
opposition groups in Syria to completely and immediately dissociate from
the above‑mentioned terrorist groups;
7. Strongly condemned any use of chemical weapons in Syria and demanded
that any reports in this regard should be investigated promptly and
professionally in full compliance with the Convention on the Prohibition of
the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on
Their Destruction and by the OPCW as the main international competent
authority to establish use of chemical weapons;
8. Underlined their firm conviction that there could be no military
solution to the Syrian conflict and that the conflict could be resolved
only through the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated political
process in line with the UN Security Council resolution 2254;
9. Reaffirmed their determination to step up joint efforts to launch the
Constitutional Committee in Geneva, that would enjoy support of the Syrian
parties, in accordance with the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue
Congress in Sochi and decided to intensify their consultations on all the
levels to finalize its establishment at the soonest possible time;
10. Welcomed the successful development of the “pilot project” within the
framework of the Working Group on the release of detainees/abductees and
handover of the bodies as well as the identification of missing persons.
The release of the detainees on 24 November 2018 constituted a step forward
in implementing confidence-building measures between Syrian parties to
contribute to the viability of the political process and normalization of
the situation on the ground. In this regard they reiterated their
commitment to further advance the efforts of the Working Group;
11. Emphasized the need to continue all efforts to help all Syrians restore
normal and peaceful life as well as alleviate their sufferings. In this
regard, they called upon the international community, particularly the
United Nations and its humanitarian agencies, to increase their assistance
to Syria by providing additional humanitarian aid, restoring humanitarian
infrastructure assets, including water and power supply facilities, schools
and hospitals;
12. Highlighted the need to create conditions for the safe and voluntary
return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their
original places of residence in Syria. They reaffirmed their readiness to
continue interaction with all relevant parties, including the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other specialized
international agencies, in particular in the context of rendering
assistance to preparing and convening the International conference on
Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs);
13. Expressed their appreciation to Mr.Staffan de Mistura, the UN
Secretary-General Special Envoy on Syria, for his efforts to seek peaceful
solution for the Syrian crisis and for his constructive interaction and
cooperation with the Astana format during his mission;
14. Expressed their sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of
Kazakhstan, His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Kazakh authorities
for hosting in Astana the 11th International Meeting on Syria;
15. Decided to hold the next International Meeting on Syria in Astana in
early February 2019.
Astana, 29 November 2018