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.
"Astana talks give hope for progress in the Syrian conflict resolution. I would like to highlight that the meeting in Astana is not an alternative to the UN-brokered Geneva talks. However, the Astana talks are aimed at laying foundations for reaching the final agreement… We all expect from Astana talks a sustainable ceasefire and then restoration of stability in Syria," Kaynak said.
"Civilians are returning to their lands and homes," Kaynak said, adding that this proved the fact that Russian, Turkish and Iranian strategy was the right one to settle the crisis in the war-torn country.
The Syrian government and the armed opposition are negotiating behind the closed doors. Damascus delegation is set to speak first, followed by the armed opposition, Russia, Iran, Turkey, the United States and the United Nations.
