Pederson calls on Russia and the United States to continue dialogue on resolving the Syrian crisis

The UN special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, has urged Russia and the United States to continue dialogue and make the most of “some calm” in the war-torn country since 2011.

Pedersen said, during a meeting of the UN Security Council, today, Monday, that many opportunities to shift towards a political path lost since the outbreak of the war, warning that the “lost possibilities were followed by renewed violence and strict positions”.

He added: “In light of some calm and common threats from COVID-19, ISIS and the continued suffering of the Syrian people, I would like to stress the need to renew full international cooperation and build confidence between the concerned international parties and the Syrians regarding progress”.

He continued: “I think the Russian-American dialogue has a major role here, and I call for moving forward on that”.

However, he considered that the efforts of the Astana track should be united with the participation of Russia, Iran and Turkey, and the small group on Syria, which includes the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of the United Nations.