In details: New de-escalation agreement reached in Damascus

CAIRO – 12 October 2017: Syrian factions reached a new de-escalation agreement in Southern Damascus on Thursday during their meeting in Cairo.

The agreement was signed by Syrian factions such as the army of Islam and Ibabil under sponsorship of Egypt and Syria.

It aims to implement more ceasefires in more regions in Syria, continuously open the crossings in Southern Damascus for the delivery of humanitarian aids, and end the forcible displacement of citizens.

Leader of Syrian opposition wing Al-Ghad Al-Souri (Syrian Tomorrow) Ahmed al-Jarba praised Egypt’s efforts in reaching a political solution in Syria and guaranteeing Syria’s unity and security.

Egyptian foreign diplomacy has concentrated recently on the regional issues, such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Libyan crisis and the Syrian crisis. Egypt has played a vital role in solving the current regional crises via mediation, sponsoring, and negotiations.

Cairo's positive role in the region led Egypt to sponsor a ceasefire in war-stricken areas in northern Syria. The Egyptian stance towards the Syrian civil war has been clear since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011. It has reaffirmed many times that a peaceful political solution is the only way to resolve the Syrian crisis.

On August 3, representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry reached a third de-escalation agreement with the Syrian opposition after their meeting in Cairo to establish the third de-escalation zone in northern Homs.

Egypt acted as a mediator in this process and provided a platform for negotiations to aid in reaching an agreement.

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said, "On July 31, a new round of talks between representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry and the moderate Syrian opposition was held in Cairo."