MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Russia hopes that talks in Astana due on February 15-16 will give an impetus to the Syrian settlement process, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Wednesday.

"A second international meeting on Syria is due in Astana these days," Zakharova said. "I do hope that in the capital of Kazakhstan, where the Russian delegation has already arrived for working consultations due later today, an extra impetus will be given to an inclusive intra-Syrian dialog under the UN auspices in Geneva, which, we hope will be resumed in the last days of February."

On February 6, Astana hosted the first meeting of the joint group for monitoring ceasefire in Syria with experts from Russia, Turkey, Iran, the United Nations and Jordan taking part. The group was formed on the basis of results of a Syrian settlement conference held in Kazakhstan’s capital on January 23-24. The next meeting of the joint monitoring group is scheduled for February 15-16.