Today Vienna is hosting a meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry, as well as representatives of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the key states of the region which are actively involved in resolving the Syrian conflict. The Vice President of the Russian Council on International Affairs, the former president of North Ossetia, Alexander Dzasokhov, and the deputy chairman of the Association of Russian diplomats, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Andrei Baklanov, told Vestnik Kavkaza about what the most likely outcomes are of this meeting.
For example, Alexander Dzasokhov believes that by the end of this meeting, we can expect that agreements in the fight against Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq will be achieved. "This possible agreement or common understanding of the situation may open the way for the resumption of the process of a political settlement in Syria. Participants of the meeting will be able to become fully acquainted with the Russian position, especially concerning the call of Russian President Vladimir Putin, voiced at the UN General Assembly, on the need for a joint, coordinated fight against terrorism," he said.
"The negotiations with the Russian President leave no doubt that the Syrian authorities take a consistent position concerning the settlement of the situation in the country. This is especially true for the authorities' willingness to engage in dialogue with the opposition forces on the basis of preserving the unity and sovereignty of the state. The composition of the participants of the meeting in Vienna makes it possible to develop an effective position on the political issues and issues of the effective fight against terrorism," he explained.
At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that Iran's participation in such meetings would substantially increase the capabilities of the states in the region in the settlement of the Syrian crisis. "In light of the current situation, we attach particular importance to Iran being a participant of these meetings. In addition, the inclusion of Egypt in this process, with its diplomatic potential and influence as the a Arab state, would also be the right step," Alexander Dzasokhov said.
The deputy chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Andrei Baklanov, on the other hand, expressed doubt that this meeting could become a start of the political progress in Syria. "Russia will probably present its assessment of the development of events in Syria, in its military and political planes, to other participants of the meeting. The Russian side will tell about specific changes and motions that occurred after an extensive exchange of views between Russia and Syria at the level of the presidents of the two countries. In addition, I think that the contacts with the representatives of the political forces of Kurdistan, which took place at the same time in Moscow, were also very important. It is no coincidence that the countries of the region and the United States wanted to get the information they need and learn about Russia's approach to this issue," the diplomat reported.
He also noted that a large-scale coalition can't be created in one or two meetings, since we are talking about a fairly significant reform.
