Putin Notes 'Encouraging Developments' Emerged in Syrian Crisis Settlement

There is a chance for intra-Syrian dialogue to be brought about in Geneva as a result of the ceasefire reached in Syria, bolstered by the establishment of de-escalation zones on the territory of the war-torn Arab state, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Putin stressed that the emergence of the aforementioned upbeat developments was the direct result of a series of Astana talks, brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran.

"Encouraging developments have recently emerged with regard to the Syrian crisis… The most important achievements are the agreement on the ceasefire between the government forces and the armed opposition, as well as on creating de-escalation zones in Syria. Now, on this basis, there is a real chance to strengthen the ceasefire regime and give impetus to the intra-Syrian negotiating process in Geneva," Putin said in the Kazakh capital.

The Syrian settlement talks take place on two parallel platforms: the UN-mediated Geneva talks, and the Astana talks, brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran. The aforementioned states are the guarantors of a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime that came into force on December 30, 2016, as well as the signatories of the memorandum on the establishment of four safe zones in Syria, which entered into force on May 6. The latest round of the Geneva talks took place on March 23-31, and the fourth round of Astana talks was held on May 3-4.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Thursday that the next round of intra-Syrian talks in Astana was postponed tentatively until June 20.

Russia and Turkey are the guarantors of a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime that came into force on December 30, 2016.

Kazakhstan’s capital is housing a two-day meeting of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which kicked off Thursday.