Araks Pashayan: Syrian Conflict will Remain Unresolved for a Long Time

• 09.30.2016, 17:55
•  Near East,  World,  Interview

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In an interview with "Armedia" IAA orientalist Araks Pashayan spoke about the current situation in Syria and the negotiations between the US and Russia on the Syrian conflict settlement.

- What was the reason of another failure of the political process in Syria?

- Any ceasefire agreement or decision on political issues in Syria is very fragile and it is hardly possible to reach a durable and speedy settlement of the Syrian issue. The problem is that there are many countries, powers (regional and non-regional states), involved in the Syrian crisis and each of them wants to get their share here. All of them seek their own interests and the Syrian war will continue as long as these interests are not satisfied. At the same time Syria has become an arena where the interests of different countries collide.  Even if the war ends today, violence in Syria will not stop because it already has a precedent. During the complicated and oppressive war in Syria religious and social communities were formed that have hostile and competitive relations with each other. Thus the Syrian conflict will remain unresolved for a long time.

- What problems have the United States and Russia solved through the ceasefire agreement and what is the aim of the resumption of fighting?

- Despite the fact that the agreements reached between Russia and the US on Syria are a positive step towards a peaceful settlement of the issue and they are also profitable in terms of cooperation between the two superpowers, these countries have disagreements on various aspects of the Syrian conflict. For example, moderate opposition forces sponsored by the US are considers to be terrorists or jihadists in Russia and so forth. The issue of Bashar Assad’s leaving or staying  is not clarified between the parties as well. BesidesTurkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia that are also involved in the conflict have disagreements with Russia and the US. In many cases the parties involved in the crisis and the forces sponsored by them act independently from each other, make unconstructive steps, etc. One can say there is no total consensus in Syria and that prolongs the conflict.