Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has announced that preparations are currently underway for the 21st meeting on Syria in the Astana format.
Bogdanov highlighted that Russia, Turkey, and Iran serve as the guarantor countries of the Astana process, with the participation of "two Syrian delegations" representing both the government and the opposition. He provided this information in an interview with TASS.
The Astana format, which involves international discussions on Syria, was first established in January 2017 and has seen various rounds of negotiations. Notably, the 20th meeting took place in Astana on June 20-21. Observers from the United Nations, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq participated in these talks. Although it was initially stated that the 20th meeting would be the last, Kazakhstan later expressed its willingness to host further discussions in the Astana format if requested by all parties involved, as a goodwill gesture.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS