MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and North Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft have discussed the Syrian crisis focusing on the meeting scheduled to be held on January 23 in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"The parties discussed a range of issues related to the situation in the Middle East and North Africa focusing on the Syrian conflict, particularly the meeting on settling the Syrian crisis due in Astana on January 23. They also exchanged views on the situation in Libya and the Palestinian-Israeli issue," the statement reads.

The list of the Astana meeting’s participants has not been made public yet. Representatives of the Syrian government and the armed opposition groups are expected to take part in the meeting, issues related to maintaining the ceasefire will top the meeting’s agenda.