Kazakhstan hopes all parties to Syrian conflict to attend Astana talks

The Kazakh Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it expects all parties to the Syrian conflict to take part in the next round of talks on Syria that will be held in Astana, Sputnik news agency reported.

The ministry hopes that all parties to the conflict, including the representatives of the armed opposition, will attend the upcoming talks on the Syrian settlement in the Kazakh capital of Astana on May 3-4, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi said Tuesday.

The next meeting on the Syrian crisis settlement in Astana is expected to take place on May 3-4, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“Of course, the comprehensive talks will not happen if any of the sides does not arrive … All parties, guarantor-states, the government [Syrian] and we are talking about the armed opposition,” Tileuberdi told reporters.

The attendance of all parties to conflict should be ensured by the guarantor-states as Astana is not intervening in the negotiation process, the official noted.

“We are hoping that the talks in Astana will be held on the highest level. We are ready to host at any level, we have already prepared for the expert [level],” Tileuberdi added.
The Syrian crisis settlement talks at the level of experts will take place in Astana on May 2, Tileuberdi added.

Kazakhstan's capital of Astana has hosted three rounds of talks on Syrian settlement brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran, held on January 23-24, February 15-16 and March 14-15. During the talks, the participants agreed to set up a ceasefire monitoring group, among other issues.

Source: MENA