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Kazakh Foreign Ministry expects Astana talks to help reduce violence in Syria

A diplomat hopes the Astana process will help restore peace in Syria

ASTANA, September 15. /TASS/. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry expects that the next rounds of the Astana talks will help reduce violence and restore peace in Syria, head of the ministry’s Department of Asian and African Affairs Aidarbek Tumatov told reporters on Friday.

"At the moment, practical issues are under consideration in Astana, aimed at reducing violence ‘on the ground’ in the Syrian de-escalation zones, which will later help facilitate the Geneva talks," he said. "We all understand that without the Geneva talks, it will be impossible to bring peace to Syria, so [United Nations Special Envoy for Syria] Staffan de Mistura has been emphasizing the need to continue talks here in Astana," Tumatov added.

The diplomat stressed that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s initiative to host talks on Syria in Astana had been very much appreciated. "I hope that the next rounds of the Astana process will help reduce violence in Syria and eventually restore peace and stability in the war-torn country," Tumatov said.