Geneva talks kicked off on Thursday. In the run-up to the negotiations, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura stressed that he would like to discuss governance, constitution of Syria and elections with the participants.
"Today, almost one and a half years later, we can talk about tangible positive results in Syria. Peace has been restored in hundreds of towns and villages, tens of thousands of square kilometers of the territory has been freed from terrorists, thousands of tonnes of humanitarian aid given to the residents," Matvienko said at the Valdai Discussion Club's Middle East session.
According to the speaker, Russia not only supports the government of Syria in its fight against terrorists, but also promotes the peaceful settlement, and Astana talks were an important step toward that goal.
"[We are] certain that talks in Astana have become a substantial contribution to the process of political negotiations on the Syrian issue in Geneva, based on the resolution of the UN Security Council. As you know, the talks in Astana have been difficult. So someone might consider the progress achieved there rather modest. But if you remember the atmosphere in Syria and around [that issue] from not so long ago, it is impossible not to admit that there has been a big step forward," Matvienko said.
