MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia is pleased with the progress achieved at international Syrian reconciliation talks in Astana and hopes that all Syrian opposition forces will engage with Damascus in Geneva, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.
"Moscow is satisfied with the progress of the Astana process," Zakharova told a weekly briefing. "In addition to improving the situation on the ground, a stable ceasefire, creating the needed conditions to normalize the humanitarian situation, the return of refugees and temporarily displaced persons, it also promotes the intra-Syrian consultations in Geneva under the auspices of the UN."
She expressed Moscow's hope that "all sound forces in the opposition that seek to contribute to the restoration of peace and order in Syria not in word but in action, will participate constructively in negotiations with the delegation of the Syrian government."
