In July, the Syrian government submitted a list of over 10,000 nationals believed to be held hostage by the opposition, as part of a project on the swap of those detained by opposition forces.
Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov told Sputnik on Friday that the Syrian armed opposition will be present at the next Astana peace talks.
Astana will host the eleventh round of the so-called Astana process next Wednesday and Thursday. Russia, Turkey and Iran will take part in the talks, as well as the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition.
The Astana format comprises Russia, Iran, and Turkey, the three guarantor states of a Syrian ceasefire. Parallel talks on Syrian peace are conducted under the UN aegis in the Swiss capital of Geneva, and by the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian resort city of Sochi.
READ MORE: 'Zero Evidence': Syrian Opposition Has No Chemical Weapons — Pentagon
At talks in the Russian resort city of Sochi on September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a demilitarized zone in Idlib by October 15 along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces.
The withdrawal of heavy weaponry operated by militants is also part of that agreement. However, the creation of the demilitarized zone is still not complete, as terrorists continue attacks.
READ MORE: Meeting on Syria to Take Place in Astana on 28-29 November
