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Conflict in Syria

Kremlin says Russia in contact with Turkey on possible meeting on Syria

Peskov refused to comment on media reports that Moscow and Ankara have allegedly agreed on a plan of a comprehensive ceasefire in Syria

© AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

MOSCOW, December 28. /TASS/. Russia and Turkey are in constant contact on the possible talks on the Syrian settlement in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

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"Indeed, constant contacts with the Turkish colleagues are held to discuss various modes of a possible dialogue that is planned in Astana. All this is in line of searching for political settlement in Syria," Peskov said.

Peskov refused to comment on Turkey’s media reports that Moscow and Ankara have allegedly agreed on a plan of a comprehensive ceasefire in Syria. "I cannot answer this question now, I have no enough information," he stressed.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported earlier on Wednesday that the agreement reached by Russia and Turkey envisages establishing ceasefire from midnight on December 29. The plan will be in force in all areas of Syria where the fighting is underway between the government forces and armed opposition groups. It does not cover the terrorist organizations.

According to the report, if the ceasefire deal is implemented, the talks on political settlement of the conflict will be held in Kazakhstan’s Astana. Moscow and Ankara will act as guarantors of the settlement.

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Turkey, Russia agree on Syria ceasefire plan — media

Over the past several days, the Russian and Turkish foreign ministers, Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu, have held intense phone conversations devoted to the Syrian crisis and the meeting of representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition in Astana.

On Tuesday, Cavusoglu discussed the preparation for the intra-Syrian talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. A week ago, Lavrov, Cavusoglu and Zarif held a trilateral meeting in Moscow and agreed on a joint statement on the political settlement in Syria.

Qadri Jamil, leader of the Popular Front for Change and Liberation and representative of the "Moscow group" of the Syrian opposition, earlier told TASS that the talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Astana will be held in the second half of January 2017. The effort will be continued in Geneva, where UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura plans to launch the next round of talks on February 8.

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Foreign policy Dmitry Peskov Syrian conflict

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