The foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt affirmed the priority of ending the Syrian crisis and all that it caused in terms of killing, devastation and destruction, suffering for the Syrian people, and negative repercussions regionally and internationally, through a political solution that preserves Syria’s unity, cohesion and sovereignty, meets the aspirations of its people, rids it of terrorism, and contributes to Promoting appropriate conditions for the voluntary and safe return of refugees, leading to the exit of all illegal foreign forces from it, in a way that achieves national reconciliation, and restores Syria’s security, stability, wellness and role.
This came in a final statement issued today (Monday) by the meeting of the Ministerial Contact Group on Syria, as follows:
At the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, and as a continuation of the meeting hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, for the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Iraq and the Republic of Egypt And in follow-up to the contacts made by a number of these countries with the Syrian Arab Republic, and in accordance with the Jordanian initiative based on launching an Arab leadership role in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis according to a step-by-step methodology and the Saudi initiative and other Arab proposals, the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt held a meeting In Amman today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic.
This meeting marks the beginning of meetings that will continue to hold talks aimed at reaching a solution to the Syrian crisis, consistent with Security Council Resolution 2254, and dealing with all the consequences of the humanitarian, political and security crisis.
The meeting discussed the humanitarian aspect, and the steps required to achieve progress in efforts to address it, in a way that will directly affect the Syrian people, in addition to a number of security and political issues.
The ministers and the Syrian foreign minister agreed on the agenda of the talks, which will continue according to an agreed-upon timetable, and in a way that integrates all international and other related efforts:
1- The humanitarian situation
2- The security situation
3- The political situation
The Ministers also agreed on the following:
– The delivery of humanitarian and medical aid that contributes to meeting the life needs of all the Syrian people who need it in all their places in Syria is a necessity that all efforts must be combined to meet, in cooperation and coordination between the Syrian government and the relevant United Nations bodies, in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions. , including Resolutions 2642 and 2672.
The ministers welcome the Syrian government’s decision to open the Bab al-Salama and al-Rai crossings for the United Nations to deliver humanitarian and medical aid after the earthquake that struck Syria last February, and express their satisfaction with the Syrian government’s decision to consider extending this decision, in light of the importance of this in ensuring that aid reaches those in need. .
The voluntary and safe return of refugees to their country is a top priority, and the necessary steps must be taken to start implementing them immediately.
– Enhancing cooperation between the Syrian government and countries hosting refugees, and coordinating with relevant United Nations bodies, to organize voluntary and safe returns for refugees and end their suffering, according to specific procedures and a clear time frame.
– That the Syrian government, in coordination with the relevant United Nations bodies, begin to identify the needs necessary to improve public services provided in the areas of refugee return in order to consider providing Arab and international contributions to them, while clarifying the measures that it will take to facilitate their return, including within the framework of their inclusion in the amnesty decrees. general.
– Intensifying work with the international community and the United Nations to push for accelerating the implementation of early recovery projects, including in areas to which refugees are expected to return, leading to improving the necessary infrastructure to provide a decent life for refugees who choose to return voluntarily to Syria, including building schools and hospitals. public facilities and job creation, and contributes to stabilization.
– To take similar steps, as appropriate, to resolve the issue of internally displaced persons, including the issue of the Rukban camp.
Cooperation between the Syrian government and the Jordanian government, in coordination with the relevant United Nations bodies, in organizing a voluntary return process for about a thousand Syrian refugees in Jordan, so that the Syrian government guarantees the provision of the necessary conditions and requirements for their return, and so that the United Nations bodies provide their life needs, according to its approved work mechanisms. And in the context of the early recovery process stipulated in the relevant United Nations resolutions, and that this includes, at a later stage, other countries hosting Syrian refugees.
– Enhancing cooperation to advance efforts to exchange abductees and detainees and search for missing persons according to a studied approach with all parties and concerned international organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, in coordination with the Syrian government.
– Cooperation between the Syrian government, the concerned countries and the United Nations in formulating a comprehensive strategy to enhance security and combat terrorism in all its forms and organizations, and to end the presence of terrorist organizations in the Syrian territories and neutralize their ability to threaten regional and international security.
Work to support Syria and its institutions in any legitimate efforts to extend its control over its lands, impose the rule of law, end the presence of armed and terrorist groups on Syrian lands, and stop foreign interference in Syrian internal affairs, in accordance with the provisions of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
– Enhancing cooperation between Syria and neighboring countries and countries affected by drug trafficking and smuggling across the Syrian border with neighboring countries, in line with Syria’s Arab, national and international commitments in this regard. In this context, Syria will cooperate with Jordan and Iraq in forming two separate joint political/security working groups within a month to identify the sources of drug production and smuggling in Syria, and the parties that organize, manage and implement smuggling operations across the borders with Jordan and Iraq, and take the necessary steps to end smuggling operations, and put an end to this. The escalating danger to the entire region.
Agree on effective steps to address security challenges related to border security, by establishing effective coordination mechanisms between the Syrian military and security services and their counterparts in neighboring countries.
– Work to resume the work of the Constitutional Committee as soon as possible, in the context of political steps aimed at achieving comprehensive national reconciliation.
– That the countries participating in the meeting work with brotherly countries and the international community to meet the positive steps of the Syrian government with positive steps, to build on what has been achieved, and to gradually reach a political solution that ends the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people and the catastrophic consequences of the Syrian crisis, achieves national reconciliation, and puts Syria on the road to reconstruction. Towards a secure future that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people and their rights to live in safety and dignity in their homeland, and restores Syria’s historical role in the region.
The ministers agreed to form a technical team at the level of experts to follow up the outputs of this meeting and determine the next steps in the context of this targeted path, addressing the solution to the Syrian crisis and addressing all its repercussions.
The ministers will communicate with Arab countries, with friendly countries, and with the United Nations to inform them of the outcomes of the meeting, which was agreed to be held during the consultative meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt in Saudi Arabia on April 14, 2023.
The ministers thanked the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for the warm reception and hosting, and the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt expressed their appreciation for the positive involvement shown by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic, in discussing the initiatives and steps presented during the meeting. They called on the Syrian Arab Republic to continue the steps and procedures to deal with all the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, leading to a political solution that would end it, and end the suffering of Syria and its honorable people.
