New Astana Syria Meeting Security Measures Boosted as Previously – Kazakh FM

ALMATY (Sputnik) — The government of Kazakhstan, as a host of the international meeting on the Syrian crisis settlement, which kicked off earlier in the day, strengthened the security measures at the negotiations as it was done at the previous rounds of talks, Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Anuar Zhainakov said Tuesday.

The fifth international meeting on Syria in Astana takes place on July 4-5, and brings together the delegations from the three guarantor states — Russia, Iran and Turkey — as well as the Syrian sides and the United Nations teams. Jordan and the United States act as the observers.

"The measures are increased as before. We are working to ensure the necessary conditions for the work of delegations, including at the place of negotiations," Zhainakov told reporters.

According to the spokesman, over 180 journalists received accreditation to cover the meeting, 81 of which represent the foreign mass media.

The session of the joint working group on de-escalation would be a first meeting of the event, it will take place at 10 a.m. local time [4:00 GMT].

The latest Astana meeting in May was a breakthrough, as the three ceasefire guarantor states signed a memorandum on the establishment of four de-escalation zones in Syria.