MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he hoped the Kazakh capital of Astana in Central Asia would play host to "practical" talks between Syrian warring parties on a political solution to the years-long crisis.
"I think a nationwide ceasefire must be agreed, followed immediately by practical negotiations on a political reconciliation," Putin said at the annual press conference.
"We have suggested that Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana could serve as a neutral territory. The Turkish and Iranian presidents have agreed, the president [of Syria Bashar] Assad himself has consented, the president [of Kazakhstan Nursultan] Nazarbayev kindly agreed to lend us this venue, create all working conditions, and I do hope we will get the process going," he told reporters.
