MFA confirms dates of Syria talks in Astana
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as agreed with the foreign ministries of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran, informs that the next round of the high-level international meetings on Syria within the Astana process will be held on July 4 and 5, 2017 in Astana", the ministry press service said.
It is noted that the participants plan to discuss the situation in Syria, the implementation of the agreements reached during the previous rounds of talks in Astana, including the creation of the de-escalation zones in the country.
"The guarantors of the cessation of hostilities, i.e. Iran, Russia and Turkey, are expected to discuss the documents regulating the parameters of the de-escalation zones in Syria for further adoption, as well as the issues of ensuring unhindered humanitarian access, rehabilitation of the infrastructure facilities within the framework of the Memorandum on Establishing De-Escalation Zones in Syria," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan pointed out.
The previous round of the Syria talks within the framework of the Astana Process was held on May 3 and 4 this year in the capital of Kazakhstan. The delegations from the Government of Syria and the Syrian Armed Opposition, as well as representatives of the UN, Jordan and the USA, took part in the negotiations along with the guarantor countries.
The main outcome of the meeting was that the guarantor countries signed the Memorandum on Establishing De-Escalation Zones in Syria aimed at ending the violence, preserving the unity and territorial integrity of this country, and political settlement of the conflict.
The Astana Process is an additional channel for resolving the situation in Syria. As it is known, the main platform where the concerned parties meet is the Geneva talks under the auspices of the United Nations.