Safadi, Russian counterpart discuss political solution to Syria crises

AMMAN — Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed on Friday in Moscow coordination to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

Safadi and Lavrov also stressed the need to end the stalemate in the peace process, according to a ministry statement.

In a joint press conference, Safadi said that the meeting aimed to realise a political solution to the Syrian crisis based on Resolution 2254, to keep Syria united and stable in cooperation with Russia and the international community.

Safadi also affirmed the Jordanian stance towards Syria, calling on the Arab world to play a “positive” role to help end the Syrian “tragedy”. The minister underscored Jordanian-Russian efforts, which helped lead to a ceasefire in the south-western region of Syria. 

The minister also said that Jordan is coordinating with Russia concerning Rukban camp, where 50,000 to 60,000 Syrian refugees live, adding that there is a Jordanian-US-Russian plan to dismantle the camp and safeguard the return of refugees to their cities and villages.

He also stressed the importance of humanitarian aid, pointing out that Jordan had permitted the entry of aid through its borders when there was no other option available.

Safadi said that the total number of Syrian refugees in Jordan amounted to 1.3 million, underscoring the importance of refugees’ voluntary return to their homes.

He also affirmed that Jordan worked at full capacity to provide the Syrian refugees with services to guarantee a dignified standard of living.

The minister reaffirmed the Jordanian permanent and firm stance towards the Palestinian cause, which is Jordan’s central issue, stressing the need for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two-state solution.

For his part, Lavrov affirmed the need for ongoing discussion over the Syrian crisis within the Jordanian-Russian joint committee framework in Amman. 

He said that the Russian stance towards the Palestinian cause is clear, stressing the need to resume negotiations without pre-conditions, which he suggested be held in Russia. Meanwhile he called on the international community to shoulder its responsibility to the Syrian.