MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Vitaly Naumkin, Russian political adviser to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, said that Astana could become a permanent platform for further negotiations on Syrian settlement.
"[Naumkin's] statement reflects de Mistura's assessment of the meeting in Astana, which, despite all its difficulties and contradictions, signified a step forward, albeit a small one, which is a big achievement, because all previous platforms did not lead to any substantial progress," Pushkov said.
During the negotiations, the Russian delegation presented to the parties a draft of the Syrian constitution, sending it later to the office of the UN special envoy for Syria. The Syrian opposition also elaborated its own proposals on amending country's constitution.
The Geneva round of intra-Syrian talks under UN auspices was initially set for February 8. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the negotiations would be postponed till late February.