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Kazakh top diplomat confirms new Astana meeting on Syria to be held on March 14-15

Guarantor countries have been discussing the meeting's format and level

ASTANA, March 6. /TASS/. The new Astana meeting on settling the Syrian crisis will be held on March 14-15, guarantor countries have been discussing its format and level, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov told reporters on Monday.

"Guarantor countries continue consultations on the dates of a new meeting on Syria to be held in Astana. Preliminary dates announced in Geneva, that is, March 14-15, still remain," the Kazakh top diplomat said.

At the same time, he added that representatives of the Syrian opposition had expressed concern over a number of issues. "In Geneva, I had a chance to speak to several representatives of the Syrian opposition who expressed some concern, as, in their opinion, the ceasefire agreements are not being implemented appropriately as well as agreements on the prisoner release and documents on defining areas to which the ceasefire agreements apply. We have briefed the guarantor countries on the opposition’s concerns," Abdrakhmanov said.

The previous international meeting on settling the Syrian crisis took place in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana on February 15-16. Participants in the meeting discussed issues related to monitoring the ceasefire and the prospects of the intra-Syrian consultations in Geneva. Apart from the guarantor countries (Russia, Iran, Turkey) and delegations of the Syrian government and the armed opposition, Jordan, the United States and the United Nations also participated in the meeting.