Astana Talks to Persuade US, EU to Contribute to Syrian Settlement - Lawmaker

ANKARA (Sputnik) — On December 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed in a phone call the possibility of a meeting between the Syrian conflicting parties in Astana. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev supported this initiative and expressed readiness to provide a platform for the meeting.

"The negotiations in Astana are an important step, they will prompt the United States and the European Union to accept the necessity to stop the bloodshed and to reach peace in Syria as soon as possible," Selcuk Ozdag said.

He added that participation of both Brussels and Washington in the Syrian peace process was necessary, as the joint efforts of Moscow, Tehran and Ankara would not be enough.

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, following the protests that had turned violent, as part of the so-called Arab Spring.

The opposition and Damascus, along with the mediators, have been engaged in UN-brokered settlement talks. The last round of intra-Syrian talks took place in Geneva in April. The Syrian High Negotiations Committee opposition group walked out of the negotiations, citing the continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues.