Damascus distance: the number of participants in the national dialogue has been narrowed in Syria

About 600 delegates attended the national dialogue conference in Syria, although about a thousand were originally planned to attend. In particular, the Kurdish factions did not receive invitations, their representatives told Izvestia. In addition, many could not come because the authorities announced the holding of the event a day in advance, exposing politicians abroad to the fact. As Izvestia found out, the main discussions during the meeting concerned judicial, constitutional reforms, security and economic issues. At the end of January, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that after a national dialogue in the country, a constitutional declaration would be published, which would become the legal basis for the transition period.

What was discussed at the all-Syrian conference

On February 25, the national dialogue conference started in Damascus, bringing together about 600 participants. The Forum was intended to become a platform for discussing key issues of the transition period. The main discussions are centered around several key areas, including the judicial system, constitutional reform, economic strategy, and civil society. Mudar al-Asaad, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Syrian Tribes and Clans, told Izvestia about this.

— During the discussions, issues of responsibility for war crimes, possible amnesties and reconciliation mechanisms were discussed. The delegates exchanged views on the fundamentals of the future state structure, the restoration of the destroyed economy and the fight against sanctions, — said the interlocutor of Izvestia, participating in the conference.

Founder of the Movement for Nation-Building (based in Damascus) Anas Judeh noted in an interview with Izvestia that it is not clear who was invited and what are the selection criteria for participants in the national dialogue. According to him, the issue of forming a new interim government was not discussed at the conference.

The term of office of the current Syrian Cabinet expires on March 1. According to Al-Arabiya sources, Ayman Asfari, one of the most prominent Syrian businessmen abroad, who holds British citizenship, will become the new prime minister of the country. After the outbreak of the armed conflict in the SAR in 2011, Asfari spoke out against Bashar al-Assad. He financed the infamous White Helmets organization, which has repeatedly accused Moscow and Damascus of allegedly attacking humanitarian convoys and civilians.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, speaking at the opening of the forum, stressed that the country's main resource remains its unity. According to him, the republic is facing massive economic destruction, but the authorities intend to move forward.

"We are at the stage of building a state, despite serious challenges. We need patience, and we have to make painful decisions," the Syrian leader said.

The final statement announces the creation of a constitutional committee to draft a permanent Constitution of the country. In late January, al-Sharaa had already announced that a constitutional declaration would be published following the results of the national dialogue, which should become the legal basis for the transition period. However, the statement issued following the conference only stated the need to accelerate work on the constitutional declaration. The document also provided for the rejection of any form of federalization and decentralization of the country.

— In fact, everyone who is currently participating in this dialogue wants to build a new Syria, a new society based on democracy, with the inclusive participation of all ethnic, religious and social strata, and they want to build feedback lines between society and the authorities, which has been practically the case over the past decade It was blocked under the rule of Bashar al—Assad," Nikolai Sukhov, a leading researcher at the IMEMO RAS Center for Middle Eastern Studies, shared his opinion with Izvestia.

The Kurdish factions were not invited to the conference

However, not all political forces perceive the forum as a step towards real reconciliation. According to Shelal Gedo, a member of the general secretariat of the Kurdish National Council, the conference did not take into account the views of the factions representing this people.

— Some members of the Kurdish National Council have been invited, but most Kurdish political forces are set to boycott. The Kurds did not participate in the work of the preparatory committee, and the invitations were sent individually, which we consider wrong. In such circumstances, the Kurds cannot be part of the dialogue," Shelal Gedo told Izvestia.

Invitations to the conference were sent to many Syrian politicians just a day before the start of the forum. This format of the organization has put a significant part of the opposition leaders in front of the fact, especially those who live outside the country. There are many people among them who left Syria during the conflict because it was unsafe to stay in the republic.

These politicians could not get to Damascus on time. In fact, such conditions excluded a significant part of the Syrian opposition from the dialogue on the future of the country. This raised questions about the real inclusivity of the conference and whether the platform could be described as open or just a tool to consolidate the existing political order.

At the same time, the Reuters news agency reported that the Syrian authorities rejected the UN proposals to organize the conference, which caused concern among international partners. Such a step may increase criticism of the forum as an event aimed not at finding a compromise, but at legitimizing the existing government.

— Meetings of two or three hours in different cities, and then in Damascus, left time only for the presentation of the vision of the new authorities, for the statements of certain authoritative participants, but did not give the opportunity to discuss the future structure, that is, the dialogue itself did not take place, as far as I understood from quite numerous There are no reviews about this," said Nikolai Sukhov.

If the national dialogue becomes a formality rather than a real mechanism for finding compromises, this could jeopardize the reform process itself. Without the full participation of all political forces and public groups, the discussion of change risks turning into an imitation, where key decisions are already predetermined.

The lack of structural reforms means that old problems, from the inefficiency of the state apparatus to the economic crisis, will remain unresolved, which will eventually increase discontent among the population. In addition, it can undermine the already low confidence in government institutions, creating the ground for conflict potential.

Relations between Russia and Syria

Meanwhile, Syria continues to seek a balance between restoring relations with the West and maintaining a strategic partnership with Russia.

After the change of power in the country, the European Union and the United Kingdom began to gradually ease sanctions pressure, including in the fields of energy, transport and finance. Following this, the European Union immediately removed five banks and Syrian Arab Airlines from sanctions, unfreezing their assets. This is a signal of Brussels' readiness for dialogue, but earlier Europe linked the issue of sanctions with the elimination of the foreign military presence, including Russian bases.

This was confirmed not only by diplomatic statements, but also by concrete steps taken by the Syrian authorities. The agreement on the management of the seaport of Tartus, concluded in 2019 with the Russian company Stroytransgaz, was recently terminated. The decision was announced by the Director of the Tartus Province Customs Administration, Riad Judy.

This step can be seen as a symbolic gesture demonstrating Syria's willingness to renegotiate economic agreements with Moscow. However, in the military sphere, Damascus has so far avoided radical solutions.

On January 28, a Russian interdepartmental delegation arrived in the SAR, the first since the change of power. According to the Syrian SANA news agency, mechanisms for restoring trust between Russia and the Syrian people, including possible compensation, were discussed. However, the Kremlin did not comment on this information.

An important topic of the talks was the issue of preserving Russian military bases. Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian President's special Representative for the Middle East and Deputy Foreign Minister, acknowledged that the situation remains uncertain. Earlier, in an interview with Izvestia, he said that the Russian Federation's position on Syria remains unchanged, despite the political situation, and is based on friendship and partnership.