Astana Process

The Astana Process (also called the Astana format or Astana talks) is a series of international meetings on the Syrian civil war initiated in January 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan (now Astana again after a 2019–2022 stint as Nur-Sultan). It was convened by Russia, Iran, and Turkey as the three "guarantor states," with the Syrian government and a delegation of armed opposition factions participating directly, and observers from the United Nations, Jordan, and the United States attending early rounds.

The process emerged after the fall of opposition-held eastern Aleppo in December 2016 and was designed to complement — though in practice it largely sidelined — the UN-led Geneva process based on Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015). While Geneva focused on a political transition and a new constitution, Astana concentrated on military de-escalation on the ground.

Key outputs included:

• The May 2017 memorandum establishing four de-escalation zones in Idlib, northern Homs, eastern Ghouta, and parts of Daraa/Quneitra (three of which were subsequently retaken by government forces).
• Repeated agreements on prisoner exchanges and humanitarian access.
• The creation, in 2018, of a Syrian Constitutional Committee of 150 members (government, opposition, civil society), which later convened in Geneva under UN auspices.
• Coordination on the Idlib situation, including the September 2018 Sochi memorandum between Presidents Putin and Erdoğan.

The format has been criticised by Western governments and parts of the Syrian opposition for entrenching Bashar al-Assad's position, marginalising the UN track, and lacking enforcement mechanisms. Relations among the three guarantors are themselves uneven: Turkey backs certain opposition factions and maintains troops in northern Syria, while Russia and Iran are aligned with Damascus. Rounds have continued intermittently, with talks slowing after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and shifting again following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024.