The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of
Turkey as guarantors of the Astana format:
1. Reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence,
unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic as well as to
the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and highlighted that these
principles should be universally respected and complied with;
2. Rejected in this regard all attempts to create new realities on the
ground, including illegitimate self-rule initiatives, under the pretext of
combating terrorism, and expressed their determination to stand against
separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Syria as well as threatening the national security of
neighboring countries;
3. Expressed their opposition to the illegal seizure and transfer of oil
revenues that should belong to the Syrian Arab Republic;
4. Condemned the continuing Israel`s military attacks in Syria in violation
of the international law and international humanitarian law and undermining
the sovereignty of Syria and neighboring countries as well as endangering
the stability and security in the region;
5. Discussed the situation in the north-east of Syria and agreed that
long‑term security and stability in this region can only be achieved on the
basis of preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
country. Welcomed in this regard signing of the Memorandum of 22 October
2019 on stabilization in the north-east of Syria and reaffirmed the
importance of the Adana agreement of 1998;
6. Reviewed in detail the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area and
highlighted the necessity to establish calm on the ground by fully
implementing all agreements on Idlib, first and foremost the Memorandum of 17 September 2018. Expressed serious concern with
the increased presence and terrorist activity of “Hayat Tahrir al‑Sham” and
other affiliated terrorist groups as designated by the UN Security Council
that pose threat to civilians inside and outside the de-escalation area.
Reaffirmed in this regard the determination to continue cooperation in
order to ultimately eliminate DAESH/ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and all other
individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaeda or
DAESH/ISIL, and other terrorist groups, as designated by the UN Security
Council. While deploring civilian casualties, they agreed to undertake
concrete measures, based on the previous agreements, to ensure the
protection of the civilian population in accordance with the international
humanitarian law as well as the safety and security of the military
personnel of the guarantors present within and outside the Idlib
de-escalation area;
7. Expressed their conviction that there could be no military
solution to the Syrian conflict and reaffirmed their commitment to advance
viable and lasting Syrian‑led and Syrian‑owned,
UN-facilitated political process in line with the UN Security Council
resolution 2254;
8. Emphasized in this regard the importance of the formation and convening
of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva on 30 October 2019 as a result of
the decisive contribution of the Astana guarantors and the implementation
of the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi.
Expressed the readiness to support the work of the committee through
continuous interaction with its members and the UN Secretary-General’s
Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen, as facilitator, in order to
ensure its sustainable and effective work. Expressed the conviction that
the committee in its work should be governed by a sense of compromise and
constructive engagement without foreign interference and externally imposed
timelines aimed at reaching general agreement of its members;
9. Reaffirmed their determination to continue operations on mutual release
of detainees/abductees within the framework of the respective Working Group
of the Astana format. Underscored that the Working Group was a unique
mechanism, that had proved to be effective and necessary for building
confidence between the Syrian parties, and agreed to take measures to
continue its work;
10. Emphasized the need to increase humanitarian assistance to all Syrians
throughout the country without discrimination, politicization and
preconditions. In order to support the improvement of the humanitarian
situation in Syria and the progress in the process of the political
settlement, called upon the international community, the United Nations and
its humanitarian agencies, to enhance the assistance to Syria, inter alia
by developing early recovery projects, including the restoration of basic
infrastructure assets - water and power supply facilities, schools and
hospitals as well as the humanitarian mine action in accordance with the
international humanitarian law;
11. Highlighted the need to facilitate safe and voluntary return of
refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their original places
of residence in Syria, ensuring their right to return and right to be
supported. In this regard they called upon the international community to
provide appropriate contributions and reaffirmed their readiness to
continue interaction with all relevant parties, including the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other specialized
international agencies. Agreed to further discuss the realization of their
initiatives to organize international conferences on the humanitarian
assistance to Syria and the return of Syrian refugees;
12. Took note with appreciation of the constructive engagement of the
delegations of Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon as observers of the Astana format
and highlighted the important role these countries play in the efforts to
bring peace and stability in Syria;
13. Expressed their sincere gratitude to the Kazakh authorities for hosting
in Nur-Sultan the 14th International Meeting on Syria in the
Astana format;
14. Decided to hold the next International Meeting on Syria in the Astana
format in Nur-Sultan in March 2020.
Nur-Sultan, 11 December 2019