Putin, Kazakh President Discuss Geneva, Astana Syrian Settlement Over Phone

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the issue of settling the Syrian conflict at the Geneva and Astana peace talks with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Kremlin said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The sides also discussed bilateral cooperation, according to the statement.

"The leaders exchanged opinions on the Syrian problem, including the work done as part of the Geneva and Astana processes," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The fourth round of UN-backed intra-Syrian talks between the government and opposition factions kicked off in Geneva last week and concluded on Friday. UN Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that the parties at the talks expressed commitment to reaching a settlement for the country's six-year civil war.

The next meeting in Astana on Syria is expected to be held on March 14, according to Sputnik's sources, and the fifth round of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva will most likely take place later in March, according to de Mistura.