Astana talks show Russia eager to keep plugging away at Idlib
The new round of Syria talks in Kazakhstan produced a cease-fire in Idlib and the promise for a constitutional committee due to be announced in September, but will all of this ultimately happen?
The 13th round of Syria talks in the capital city of Kazakhstan mostly brought optimism, even though the final communique did not appear to report any breakthroughs. Al-Monitor attended the event in Nur-Sultan (previously known as Astana) and examined the text of the communique.
The final communique states that the negotiators discussed the idea of holding an international conference on humanitarian assistance to Syria.
Russia’s special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, made it clear in an interview with TASS that the initial reconstruction of the country, including basic infrastructure such as energy and water facilities, schools, hospitals and administrative buildings, is intended.
“We understand that it requires funds, so we hope to engage leading world powers and international organizations, including nongovernmental ones, which can assist in the matter,” he said.
