Turkey to Participate in Astana Talks on Syria as Guarantor

Turkey is advocating that the ceasefire in Aleppo to be implemented throughout Syria, according to a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkey, Russia and İran will serve as guarantor countries during Astana talks on Syria, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.

President  of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev on Monday expressed readiness to host Syrian peace talks in Astana.

“The Astana process will be in addition to the United Nations process. Turkey, Russia and İran will be guarantor countries, but the Syrian regime and opposition will negotiate,” Ibrahim Kalın said at a press conference in Ankara as quoted by website Turkish Minute.

The spokesman added that Turkey is advocating that the ceasefire in Aleppo to be implemented throughout Syria.

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, following the protests that had turned violent, as part of the so-called Arab Spring.

The opposition and Damascus, along with the mediators, have been engaged in UN-brokered settlement talks. The last round of intra-Syrian talks took place in Geneva in April. The Syrian High Negotiations Committee opposition group walked out of the negotiations, citing the continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues.