Syrians of liberated areas pessimism about resolving crisis through Astana talks

The 18th round of Astana Process talks on Syria between the Syrian regime and opposition concluded yesterday, Thursday, in the capital city of Kazakhstan, in Nur-Sultan with the participation of guarantor countries, delegations from Turkiye, Russia, and Iran.

The meeting focused on the release of detainees and the return of Syrian refugees with the participation of representatives of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

A U.N. delegation led by Robert Dunn, principal political affairs officer of the special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, and the International Committee of the Red Cross also attended the meeting.

A24 News Agency conducted a survey to find out the opinions of the displaced in the areas supposed to be liberated under the previous Astana Agreement, namely the cities of Khan Sheikhoun, Maarat al-Numan, Qalaat al-Madiq, Saraqib and other villages.

Interviewees said the latest Astana round is just as misleading as previous rounds that have led to further displacement.

They said that the regime is trying through these talks to gain more time to recover and return to international forums. As for the issue of detainees, none of them have been released since the first round.