Kremlin Claims Willingness for Peace Talks While Expanding Offensive in Donetsk Region
Russia has declared its readiness to resume peace negotiations with Ukraine, even as its forces continue to advance around the frontline city of Pokrovsk
pixabay.com
A proposal to form a constitutional committee was agreed on Tuesday at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian city of Sochi, organized by Ankara, Tehran, and Moscow, Anadolu Agency reports.
Parties at the two-day congress said in a final statement they wanted to bring an end to the ongoing conflict in the region as soon as possible.
The statement also called on “all friends of Syria to take all necessary steps to help the country to reintegrate into the international community and restore its status as a distinguished member.”
“To that end we agreed to form a constitutional committee comprising the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic delegation along with wide-represented opposition delegation for drafting of a constitutional reform as a contribution to the political settlement under UN auspices in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254,” the statement said.
The constitutional committee will include “government, opposition representatives, Syrian experts, civil society, independents, tribal leaders and women,” according to the statement.
It added that the final agreement on the “mandate and terms of reference, powers, rules of procedure, and selection criteria for the composition” of the committee is to be reached in the UN-led Geneva process.
The statement called on the UN secretary-general to assign his special envoy to Syria to assist the constitutional committee work in Geneva.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Syrian opposition decided not to participate in the Sochi summit and instead announced that Turkey could do it on its behalf, anonymous diplomatic sources said.
A Syrian opposition delegation arrived at Sochi for the summit but later changed their minds when they saw pictures with Syrian regime flags on it. Afterwards, they gave Turkey the authority to represent it at the summit, said the sources.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a new American military initiative targeting what Washington describes as “narco-terrorist” groups operating throughout the Western Hemisphere
The European Commission has temporarily halted the preliminary assessment of Bulgaria’s request for the third payment under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan
The Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) democracies voiced concern over China’s expanding military capabilities and underscored their determination to create alternatives to Beijing’s dominance
Romania continues to grapple with sharply rising prices, with inflation reaching 9.8 percent in October
Several districts across Kyiv suffered extensive damage after a large overnight Russian attack between 13 and 14 November, which involved waves of missiles and drones
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is not only continuing its war against Ukraine but may also be preparing for a major military offensive in Europe between 2029 and 2030
Bulgaria's Strategic Role in the EU's Drone Wall Defense Initiative
When Politics Means Violence