Preparation of Astana Talks on Syria 'Going Very Constructively'

The list of participants and the format of the meeting are being worked through, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The preparation for Astana negotiations on the Syrian reconciliation, set to begin next week, is going constructively, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Thursday.

"The preparation for the meeting is going very constructively," Zakharova said at the press briefing.

Currently the list of participants and the format of the meeting are being worked through, the spokeswoman added.

According to the spokeswoman, the talks are expected to last several days.

The Syrian government and opposition factions are expected to meet in Astana on January 23 for talks brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran, which will be followed by a UN-mediated meeting in Geneva on February 8.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that the representatives of 14 groups of Syrian armed opposition, which signed the ceasefire agreement on December 29, will be invited to take part in the talks.

At the talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry will be represented by Director of Middle East and North Africa Department Sergei Vershinin, Bodgadnov added.

Bogdanov extended Kazakhstan's invitation to the United States to participate in the upcoming talks, during a meeting with US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari confirmed in an interview with Sputnik that he would lead the Syrian government’s delegation at the coming talks.

The United Nations's delegation is expected to be headed by Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.