National & International Events - Current Affairs for May, 2017

Allies of Syria- Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey signed a memorandum on 4 May 2017, backing Moscow’s plan of creating safe zones in Syria to encourage a truce between the Syrian government and the rebel forces.

The deal was signed by the heads of the delegations representing the three ally countries during peace talks in Kazakhstan’s capital city, Astana.

The Syrian government and rebel delegations were not among the signatories.

The representative delegations reviewed the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the termination of hostilities during the two-day talk in Astana.

After much deliberation, the guarantor countries agreed to sign a memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria.

The main aim of the deal is to put an immediate end to the violence, to provide safe conditions for the voluntary return of refugees and to enable immediate delivery of relief supplies and medical aid.

The proposal calls for the creation of safe zones in rebel-held territories including the north-western province of Idlib, parts of Homs province in the centre, in the south and in the opposition enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.

However, in spite of all these measures, some issues remain unclear like which guarantor country would be policing which safe zone. Speaking on the same Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey , Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the issue would have to be taken up in separate talks.

Russia: Know More

• Capital: Moscow
• Currency: Russian ruble
• President: Vladimir Putin
• Population: 144.1 million (2015) World Bank
• Prime minister: Dmitry Medvedev