Sochi Conference is Attempt to Circumvent UN-sponsored Geneva Process & Political Transition

Press Release

Syrian Coalition

The Free Syrian Army’s General Staff

November 02, 2017

As part of its attempts to circumvent the Geneva Communique of 2012 and the UN Security Council resolutions and the rest of international resolutions, Russia announced it was convening a conference of Syrians in Sochi under the slogan of supporting the Geneva political process.

The Syrian Coalition and the Free Syrian Army’s General Staff stress that convening such a conference represents a departure from the UN-sponsored Geneva negotiations and international resolutions on political transition in Syria.

All relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Geneva Communiqué of 2012 clearly stated that a political solution should serve as the cornerstone of the formation of a Transitional Governing Body (TGB) with full executive powers and whose primary task is to create an appropriate and neutral environment for the success of the transitional phase. TGB’s tasks also include convening a national dialogue conference, the holding of a referendum on the drafting of a constitution, and the holding of free and fair elections. Therefore, we believe that calling this conference represents an attempt to depart from all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and violates the text spirit of the Geneva Communiqué of 2012.

The Syrian Coalition and the Free Syrian Army’s General Staff confirm they will not participate in the Sochi Conference as they reiterate their support for the political transition process in Geneva aimed at achieving the aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom, dignity, and justice.