ِEmbassy of the Republik of Kazakhstan           03/06/2015

The majority of 30 Syrian opposition figures who met in Astana on May 25-27 issued a joint statement titled “Astana Declaration for a Political Solution in Syria,” in which they appealed for a continued search for political solutions to the lasting conflict in their country. They also thanked the Kazakh government for providing a favorable setting for the latest round of negotiations and expressed hope that the platform in Astana could develop into a permanent and effective mechanism in the process of elaborating a political solution for Syria.  

The meeting of Syrian opposition groups was called in Astana following Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s acceptance of their proposal from earlier this spring that the country help in mediating talks on the civil war in Syria.

According to the document, the participants confirm “their aspirations, shared by all Syrians, to create a state of national unity, which is based on freedom and equality of citizens.” They also expressed a view that Syria would become a state of all the Syrian people without any division and discrimination on religious or ethnic basis, and that loyalty to the state is a basic prerequisite for building fair society for all Syrians. To allow Syria to remain a unified nation-state, radical change is needed to decentralize power and increase democratic pluralism, without favoring any religious or ethnic group.

At the joint press conference, Syrian opposition groups expressed their willingness to hold another round of negotiations in Kazakhstan’s capital. In particular, President of the Movement for a Pluralistic Society Randa Kassis outlined that “if we have the consent of Kazakhstan and President Nazarbayev invites us once again, we would like to return to Astana and expand the ranks of opposition to gather here.”

 

http://www.kazakhembus.com/content/astana-hosts-syrian-opposition-meeting-search-peace