ROME, July 27. /TASS/. A meeting in the Astana format will take place although its place and date have not yet been determined, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said.
"The Astana format was and still is, without any doubt, the most effective with regard to what concerns a long-term settlement in Syria. A lot has been done already and we continue to do a lot in this format. The list of tasks is expanding. A meeting in the Astana format will take place but its exact date and venue have not yet been determined. Kazakhstan has done a lot for this format and I have a feeling that Kazakhstan can still do a lot to continue its functioning," the senior diplomat said.
The 20th meeting in the Astana format was held on June 20-21 this year. Delegations from guarantor countries, Russia, Turkey and Iran, as well as representatives from the Syrian government and opposition attended the talks. Representatives from the UN, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq acted as observers. The talks on the Syrian settlement were first held in the Kazakh capital in January 2017. That said, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Kanat Tumysh said that this round would be the last. On June 22, a commentary by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry indicated that the Kazakh authorities were ready to renew negotiations on Syria in the Astana format in the republic’s capital as a goodwill gesture in the event of a collective request by the parties involved.