Amman Statement Stresses Priority of Ending the Syrian Crisis and its Repercussions

The Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt stressed the priority of ending the Syrian crisis and all the killing, devastation and destruction it has caused, and the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people.

This came during the consultative meeting hosted by Amman on Monday, at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, and to complement the meeting hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, for the Foreign Ministers of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Iraq and the Arab Republic of Egypt, and a follow-up to the contacts held by a number of these countries with the Syrian Arab Republic, and in line with the Jordanian initiative based on launching the role of A leading Arab in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis according to a step-for-step methodology, the Saudi initiative and other Arab proposals.

The consultative meeting, according to the Amman statement issued by it, represents the beginning of meetings that will be followed up to hold talks aimed at reaching a solution to the Syrian crisis, in line with Security Council resolution 2254, and addressing all the consequences of the humanitarian, political and security crisis.

The meeting discussed the humanitarian aspect and the steps required to achieve progress in efforts to address it, which will directly affect the brotherly Syrian people, in addition to a number of security and political issues.

The ministers and the Syrian Foreign Minister agreed on the agenda of the talks, which will continue according to an agreed timetable, and in complementarity with all UN and other relevant efforts (humanitarian situation, security situation, political situation).

The Ministers agreed to deliver humanitarian and medical assistance that contributes to meeting the life needs of all the Syrian people in all their places in Syria and the need for concerted efforts to meet them, in cooperation and coordination between the Syrian government and the relevant United Nations bodies, in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions, including resolutions 2642 and 2672.

The Ministers welcomed the decision of the Syrian government to open the Bab Al-Salama and Al-Rai crossings to the United Nations to deliver humanitarian and medical aid after the earthquake that struck Syria on February 6, 2023, expressing their satisfaction with the decision of the Syrian government to consider extending this decision, in light of the importance of this in ensuring that aid reaches those in need.

The Ministers stressed that the voluntary and safe return of refugees to their country is a top priority and the necessary steps must be taken to start implementing it immediately, in addition to strengthening cooperation between the Syrian government and refugee-hosting countries, and coordinating with the relevant United Nations bodies, to organize voluntary and safe returns of refugees and end their suffering, according to specific procedures and a clear time frame.

The Ministers also agreed that the Syrian government, in coordination with the relevant United Nations bodies, will begin identifying the needs necessary to improve public services provided in the areas of return of refugees to consider providing Arab and international contributions to them, while clarifying the measures it will take to facilitate their return, including within the framework of their inclusion in the general amnesty decrees.

The Ministers called for intensified work with the international community and the United Nations to accelerate the implementation of early recovery projects, including in areas where refugees are expected to return, leading to improved infrastructure to provide a decent living for refugees who choose to return voluntarily to Syria, including the construction of schools, hospitals and public facilities, and the provision of employment opportunities, and contribute to stabilization, and to take similar steps, as appropriate, to resolve the issue of internally displaced persons, including the issue of Rukban camp.

The Ministers stressed the need for cooperation between the Syrian Government and the Jordanian Government, in coordination with the relevant United Nations bodies, in organizing a voluntary return process for about a thousand Syrian refugees in Jordan, so that the Syrian Government ensures that the necessary conditions and requirements are provided for their return, and that the United Nations bodies provide their life needs, in accordance with their approved working mechanisms and in the context of the early recovery process stipulated in the relevant United Nations resolutions, and that this includes at a later stage other countries hosting Syrian refugees.

The Ministers also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation to advance efforts to exchange detainees and search for missing persons according to a deliberate approach with all parties and relevant international organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, in coordination with the Syrian government, in addition to cooperation between the Syrian government, the concerned countries and the United Nations in developing a comprehensive strategy to enhance security and combat terrorism in all its forms and organizations, and to end the presence of terrorist organizations in Syrian territory and neutralize their ability to threaten regional and international security.

The Ministers stressed the need to support Syria and its institutions in any legitimate efforts to extend its control over its territory, impose the rule of law, end the presence of armed and terrorist groups on Syrian territory, and stop external interference in Syria's internal affairs, in accordance with the provisions of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

The Ministers called for strengthening cooperation between Syria and neighboring countries and countries affected by drug trafficking and smuggling across Syria's borders with neighboring countries, in line with Syria's Arab, national and international commitments in this regard.

In this context, Syria will cooperate with Jordan and Iraq in forming two separate joint political/security working groups within a month to identify the sources of drug production and smuggling in Syria, and the entities that organize, manage and carry out smuggling operations across the borders with Jordan and Iraq, and take the necessary steps to end smuggling operations and end this escalating threat to the entire region.

They also agreed on effective steps to address the security challenges related to border security, through the establishment of effective coordination mechanisms between the Syrian military and security agencies and their counterparts in neighboring countries, and work to resume the work of the Constitutional Committee as soon as possible, in the context of political steps aimed at achieving comprehensive national reconciliation.

The Ministers agreed on the need for the countries participating in the meeting to work with brotherly countries and the international community to meet the positive steps of the Syrian government with positive steps, to build on what is being achieved, and to gradually reach a political solution that ends the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people and the catastrophic consequences of the Syrian crisis, achieves national reconciliation, and puts Syria on the path of reconstruction towards a secure future that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people and their rights to live in security and dignity in their homeland, and restores Syria's historical role in the region. The Ministers also agreed to form a technical team at the expert level to follow up on the outcomes of this meeting and determine the next steps in the context of this path aimed at addressing the solution to the Syrian crisis and addressing all its repercussions.

The ministers will communicate with brotherly Arab countries, friendly countries, and the United Nations to brief them on the outcomes of the meeting, which was agreed to be held during the consultative meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt in Saudi Arabia on April 14.
The Ministers thanked the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for its warm reception and hospitality. The Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia expressed their appreciation for the positive engagement shown by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic in discussing the initiatives and steps presented during the meeting, and called on the Syrian Arab Republic to continue the steps and measures to deal with all the repercussions of the Syrian crisis in order to reach a political solution that ends it and ends the suffering of Syria and its noble people.