Four years have passed since the beginning of the Astana meetings, which aimed to nurture peace talks in Syria. Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) co-chair Riyad Derar commented on the Astana process in which Turkey, Iran and Russia participated.
Expressing a lack of satisfaction in the Astana and Sochi meetings, Derar said, “The Astana and Sochi Congresses are aiming to deepen the crisis by dividing Syria… Fragmented solutions to problems in Syria, easing the tension of the war and the removal of the political opposition have been decided in Astana meetings”.
Sanctions for changing Syria’s image
According to a report from Hawar News, co-chair Derar also said, “They have changed the image of the Syrian opposition by giving them arms. They made them look like terrorists… Arms dominated everything. In addition, the Astana process is a terror activity; it doesn’t protect the rights of Syrian people. It has nothing to do with politics”.
MSD’s role
Describing the MSD’s policies for North and East Syria, Derar said, “The MSD has a different mechanism compared to the Syrian opposition. For that reason, it has become recognised in international public opinion. Even so, it has not followed our plans and is not in accordance with current developments”.
SDF resisted
Derar noted that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) resisted the assaults of the Turkish state and its mercenaries, and also did everything to constitute a democratic system and administration in North and East Syria. Therefore, Derar said, they showed the true spirit of democratic Syria.
Constitution Committee
Pointing out that Russia, Turkey and Iran had conflicts with United States, Derar said the situation led Syrian opposition to stand and act in accordance with them. “The Astana meetings remain inconclusive. They are also irrelevant and have deepened the crisis further. And now decisions made in the meetings are finalised under the name of the ‘Constitution Committee’. It is a failure in terms of its goals, as it was in the past. They ensure time for the Damascus regime so that they can hold elections. For that reason, it extends the Damascus regime’s life. They will approve the ruling of the government and they will bring danger to the people once again”.
