Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnam’s permanent mission to the UN, has outlined the need to ensure security in Syria in an effort to promote political solutions in accordance with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)’s Resolution 2254.

Participants at the UNSC's teleconference discuss the current political situation in Syria
(Photo:VNA)

This comes after the UNSC held a teleconference on August 19 to discuss the current political situation in Syria. During the course of this meeting, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said preparations are underway to convene the third session of the Small Body of the Syrian-owned, Syrian-led, UN-facilitated Constitutional Committee on August 24 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Special Envoy Pedersen went on to affirm that he will ramp up efforts as a means of encouraging all committee members to head to Geneva ready to engage in substantial talks amid millions of Syrians continuing to endure a great deal of suffering.

Furthermore, Special Envoy Pedersen went on to voice his concerns over complex security developments occurring in the region, including the growing influence of terrorist groups and tension between Russian and Turkish patrols in Idlib. In addition, a worrying situation has been unfolding in northeast Syria, where an attack involving an improvised explosive device killed a Russian General in Deir-ez-Zor on August 18. This follows reports of an altercation between Syrian Government troops and US forces earlier this week.

Furthermore, the UN diplomat also expressed concerns over the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic in Syria due to a growing number of infections, with the number of cases already reaching 2,114.

In his address, Ambassador Quy, called on members of the Constitutional Committee to enter negotiations in goodwill whilst showing a constructive spirit, with the resumption of talks after a long hiatus marking an important milestone to enhance the comprehensive political process occurring in Syria.

The diplomat therefore suggests that the international community increases support provided for Syria, especially due to harsh socio-economic challenges and the severe impact of the COVID-19.

Moreover, the Middle Eastern nation is currently in its 10th year of instability and conflict which has led to one of the most serious humanitarian crises in history, with hundreds of thousands of casualties and millions made homeless and forced to seek refuge.

The Constitutional Committee was set up in September, 2019, with the purpose of accelerating negotiations on the revision of Syria’s Constitution between the country’s Government and the opposition on the basis of the political process outlined in the UNSC’s Resolution 2254.