Negotiations on Syria are underway in Astana

The talks in Astana have been prepared under the auspices of Russia, Turkey and Iran. In addition to the Syrian government and the opposition, UN Special Representative Staffan de Mistura is taking part. Official peace talks on Syria under the auspices of the United Nations are scheduled to take place in February in Geneva.

The negotiations are taking place in a luxury hotel in Astana and are expected to last a day. For the first time, the delegations of the Syrian official authorities and the armed opposition sat down at the same negotiating table. A meeting at which the prospects for a peaceful settlement will be discussed.

Representatives of the Syrian authorities sit between the delegations of Iran and the UN, and the delegation of the opposition - between the United States and Turkey. The Russian delegation is also located next to Turkey.

Only the very beginning of the negotiations was open to the press. It contained an appeal by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to the participants of the meeting and a speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.

As expected, representatives of Damascus will be the first to speak at the talks, and then representatives of the Syrian opposition will receive the floor, after which statements by Russia and Turkey, Iran, the United States and the UN will be made. Apart from these seven delegations, only Kazakhstan is participating in the meeting.