Kazakhstan’s Astana hosts talks on settlement of Syrian conflict

The twentieth round of negotiations on the Syrian settlement within the framework of the so-called "Astana format" has started in the capital of Kazakhstan.

The discussions in one of the hotels in Astana started with bilateral meetings of technical groups of guarantor countries (Türkiye, Iran, Russia), according to Anadolu.

The Turkish delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar held its first meeting with representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Russian delegation at the talks on Syria is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, while the Iranian delegation is led by Foreign Ministry adviser on political issues Ali Askar Haji.

In addition, Damascus is represented at the discussions by Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Susan, the Syrian opposition by Ahmed Tuma, and the United Nations by the special envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Geir Pedersen. Representatives of Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon have been invited to Kazakhstan as observers.

During the two-day discussions, an exchange of views will take place on the situation in Syria and the region and the latest processes in this country.

In addition, the agenda of discussions includes the topics of the fight against terrorism, the exchange of prisoners, the search for the missing, steps to increase confidence, and creating conditions for the return of Syrian refugees.

During the discussions, it is also planned to hold consultations on the topic of normalizing relations between Ankara and Damascus, and the formation of a road map in this direction.