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Ankara hopes for success of Syrian talks in Astana — Turkey’s deputy PM

Russia, Iran and Turkey have a lot of common ground to put an end to this human tragedy, a diplomat says

DAVOS, January 19. /TASS/. Turkey hopes for a positive result in the Syrian talks between the government and the opposition, due in Astana on January 23, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek told TASS on sidelines of eth Davos forum on Thursday.

"We are optimistic in the sense that for the first time key players - Russia, Iran and Turkey - have a lot of common ground to put an end to this human tragedy," he said. "And these players can make a big difference, they can."

"Yes, there’s been a lot of efforts in the past in Geneva and elsewhere but there was a broad sort of effort and people just literally shouted at each other," the deputy prime minister said. "You know, they talked past each other."

"So now for the first time the actors who have big stakes, who are on the ground, who have significant leverage on fighting components are together working on this," he continued. "So, they can make a big difference. It’s not my portfolio but that’s perspective. Yes, we have high hopes"

"I think the US should be there, there is no question about it," Simsek said. "Fundamentally, the US is an important player. The US can play a very strong constructive role under Trump administration and I think the US should be at the table."

Announcement on the forthcoming talks between the Syrian government and the opposition was made after a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers in Moscow on December 20, 2016. They gave support to the efforts to establish peace across the entire Syrian territory. There is no information on participants in the talks in Kazakhstan. The negotiations will focus on supporting the ceasefire regime.