Russia, Turkey discuss Kazakh meeting on Syria

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – Russia and Turkey’s foreign ministers have communicated about preparations for a possible meeting on Syria to be held in Kazakhstan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry said Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu continued to exchange views on the situation in the war-torn country.

"They emphasized the importance of an immediate finalization of the practical parameters of the cessation of hostilities, separating the moderate opposition from terrorist groups and the preparations for the meeting in Astana at the invitation of the Kazakh government," a ministry statement read.

Lavrov also told Russia’s Interfax news agency that Moscow, Ankara and Tehran will further build cooperation on Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, Turkey and Iran had agreed on an earlier suggestion to bring together representatives of the Syrian regime and opposition in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev had expressed his "readiness" to provide a platform for talks in Astana to solve the long-standing crisis.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced across the war-torn country, according to the UN.