Twenty-seven filed commanders of opposition groups in Syria have agreed to accept the terms of the memorandum on de-escalation zones, Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov, a deputy chief of the main operation directorate of Russia’s General Staff, said on May 5, TASS reports.
"We have managed to agree the memorandum with 27 field commanders of groups acting directly in the de-escalation zones," he said.
According to Gadzhimagomedov, the talks in Astana differed from other Syria-settlement negotiations due to the fact that the opposition was represented not by politicians or emigrants but by field commanders who actually control the situation on the ground.
"Despite their confrontation with government troops, these people understand their responsibility for the future of the integrated Syrian state. Rather open talks yielded common approaches to the stabilization of the situation in Syria," he stressed.