The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the
Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, as guarantors of the
observance of the ceasefire regime in Syria, gathered in Astana on 16 March
2018 at the invitation of the Republic of Kazakhstan in order to take stock
of their trilateral cooperation since the first International Meeting on
Syria in Astana held on 23-24 January 2017 and
1. Highlighted the current high level of tripartite coordination
on implementing the provisions of the Joint Statement by Presidents of
Iran, Russia and Turkey of 22 November 2017 in Sochi;
2. Agreed to continue the effective interaction that would have
positive effect on the situation in Syria and the entire region and reduce
the risk of ethnic and sectarian divide;
3. Took note of the upcoming Trilateral Summit which would be held
in Turkey on 4 April 2018;
4. Expressed their satisfaction with concrete contribution of the
Astana process to
improvement of the situation in Syria during the last year, emphasizing in
this regard the success of their collective efforts in the fight against
international terrorism, particularly the defeat of ISIL in Syria and the
creation of favorable conditions for the political settlement on the basis
of the UN Security Council resolution 2254;
5. Emphasized that the Astana format and its achievements had
become an effective instrument for contributing to peace and stability in
Syria;
6. Expressed joint determination to continue
their coordinated efforts with a view to ensuring that the progress in the
reduction of violence on the ground wasirreversible;
7. Reaffirmed their strong and continued commitment to the
sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian
Arab Republic. They also highlighted that none of the actions, no matter by
whom they were undertaken, should undermine these principles, confirmed by
relevant UN resolutions and by the will of representatives of all segments
of the Syrian society, clearly and unequivocally expressed during the
Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi;
8. Reiterated their conviction that there was no military solution
to theSyrian conflict and welcomed the progress achieved in eight
high-level meetings held in Astana with a view to contributing to
international efforts for ending the Syrian conflict through the adoption
of measures to reduce violence on the ground, build confidence between the
conflicting parties, alleviate the humanitarian situation and give impetus
to efforts aimed at finding a political solution;
9. Took note of the state of implementation of the Memorandum of 4
May 2017 on the creation of the de-escalation areas in Syria, reaffirmed their determination to continue implementing its
provisions with respect to all four deescalation areas and also emphasized
that under no circumstances the creation of the de-escalation areas should
undermine the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of
the Syrian Arab Republic;
10. Reaffirmed their determination to continue their 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 in Syria and to prevent their relocation to other countries and
regions;
11. Underscored the necessity to assist the Syrians in restoring
the unity of their country and in achieving a political solution of the
ongoing conflict through an inclusive, free, fair and transparent
Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process leading to a constitution enjoying the
support of the Syrian people, and free and fair elections with the
participation of all eligible Syrians under appropriate UN supervision;
12. Welcomed the convening of the Syrian National Dialogue
Congress in Sochi on 30 January 2018 as a major contribution giving
momentum to the process of the political settlement under the UN auspices
and reaffirmed their commitment to the results of the Sochi
Congress, especially to form the Constitutional Committee and to facilitate
the beginning of its work in Geneva with the assistance of the United
Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria as soon as possible;
13. Called upon the representatives of the Government of the
Syrian Arab Republic and the opposition committed to the sovereignty,
independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-fractional character of
Syria as well as the international community to support the work of the
Constitutional Committee;
14. Underscored the need to ensure rapid, safe and unhindered
humanitarian access to areas affected by the ongoing conflict;
15. 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 of
the respective agreements;
16. Welcomed the UN Security Council resolution 2401 in response
to the grave humanitarian situation all across Syria,
including in Eastern Ghouta,Yarmouk, Foua and Kefraya, Idlib Governorate,
Northern Hama Governorate, Rukhban and Raqqa;
17. Expressed their readiness to continue efforts with a view to
implement the provisions of the above-mentioned resolution, aimed at
strengthening the ceasefire regime and improving the humanitarian situation
all across the Syrian Arab Republic, and called upon all parties
to fully support this process, inter alia by sending additional
humanitarian aid, facilitating humanitarian mine action, restoring basic
infrastructure assets, including social and economic facilities, and
preserving historical heritage;
18. Welcomed the convening of the first meeting of the Working
Group on the release of detainees/abductees and handover of the bodies as
well as the identification of missing persons on the eve of the Ministerial
Meeting, and expressed their conviction that the efforts of the
Working Group would further contribute to building confidence between the
conflicting parties in Syria;
19. Expressed their sincere gratitude to the President of the
Republic of Kazakhstan, His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Kazakh
authorities forsupporting the Astana process and hosting International
meetings on Syria;
20. Decided to hold the next high-level International Meeting on
Syria in Astana in mid-May 2018.
Astana, 16 March 2018