MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Steinmeier added that he had been monitoring the efforts of Russia, Turkey and other countries contributing to the de-escalation of the crisis in Syria.
"We should discuss the role of Europe in [settlement] process and to insist on the transfer of the negotiations on Syria's future back to the United Nations… At the moment we cannot say that it has already been ensured and we also cannot say when the renewal of Geneva talks is expected," Steinmeier told reporters.
On December 17, 2016, 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. Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev supported the initiative and expressed readiness to provide a platform for such talks in the Kazakh capital.
