23 January 2017, 11:34 GMT
ASTANA (Sputnik) — This is the first time, when Damascus and the armed opposition sit together at the negotiating table since the start of the conflict in the Arab country. Kazakh side expects the meeting to last through Tuesday.
Earlier in the day a Sputnik correspondent reported that Russian and Iranian delegations are holding bilateral consultations on Syria in Astana.
The Syrian government and the armed opposition are negotiating behind the closed doors. Damascus delegation was set to speak first, followed by the armed opposition, Russia, Iran, Turkey, the United States and the United Nations.
Earlier in the day, the respective delegations left the hotel where the intra-Syrian talks are being held.
