Moscow announced a tentative date for holding the “Astana” meeting in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, after discussions held by Russia with Kazakhstan, Turkey and Iran.
The Russia Today website quoted the Russian President’s envoy to the Middle East and Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, as saying that it was initially agreed to hold the next meeting on Syria in the “Astana” format at the end of this month in Kazakhstan.
“It has been tentatively set, and I hope everything will be fine,” he added.
He pointed out that the date was set after discussions that took place between Russia with Iran, Turkey and the delegations of the Syrian government and opposition.
The previous international meeting on Syria was held in the “Astana” format on December 21-22, 2021 in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan.
The Deputy Special Envoy of the United Nations to Syria, Khawla Matar, confirmed that the detainees’ file was a “priority” during the round of talks, considering that “the process of exchanging detainees between the Syrian authorities and the opposition takes place in a small number, and every time the number decreases,” which she described as “a serious matter.”
A few days ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued an amnesty for terrorist crimes that did not lead to the death of a human being, as hundreds of detainees were released, while more of them continue to be released today.
The first “Astana” sessions began on January 23, 2017, in the Kazakh capital, in order to find a solution to the Syrian file.
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