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Conflict in Syria

Russian, Turkish top diplomats gear up for next round of Astana peace talks

The next meeting on the Syrian settlement will be held in Astana on March 14-15

MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers, Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu, discussed over the phone on Monday preparations for a meeting on Syria in Astana and the implementation of the ceasefire agreements, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

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Turkey to make every effort to maintain Syria ceasefire — ambassador

"The two ministers discussed preparations for the third international meeting on Syria in Astana and the implementation of the agreements related to maintaining the ceasefire and establishing an effective intra-Syrian negotiation process as a follow-up to the discussion of these issues at a meeting between the Russian and Turkish presidents in Moscow on March 10, 2017," the ministry said.

The conversation was initiated by the Turkish side.

The next meeting on the Syrian settlement will be held in Astana on March 14-15. The Russian delegation will be led by Presidential Envoy for the Syrian Settlement, Alexander Lavrentiev.

Russian President Vladimir Putin noted following talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on March 10 that thanks to concerted effort by Russia, Turkey and Iran, the ceasefire in Syria has been generally observed, while the level of violence has decreased substantially. For his part, Erdogan likewise pointed to efforts by Russia and Turkey in the negotiation process on the Syrian crisis.

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Foreign policy Syrian conflict

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