Russia\, Iran\, Turkey to hold Syria talks next week: Kazakh FM

Russia, Iran, Turkey to hold Syria talks next week: Kazakh FM

AFP  |  Astana (Kazakhstan) 

Russia, and will hold the next round of talks on Syria's conflict on November 28-29 in the Kazakh capital Astana, Kazakhstan's said on Monday.

"The participants plan to discuss the current situation in Syria, in particular in Idlib, creating conditions for the return of refugees and internally displaced people, and post-conflict reconstruction," Kairat Abdrakhmanov said in

The meeting will be the 11th in the peace process -- set up in early 2017 by and Iran, who support Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, and opposition backer

Abdrakhmanov said representatives of and armed opposition groups would take part, but did not specify what level of officials from Russia, and would attend.

The process was launched after Russia's military intervention in tipped the balance in the regime's favour. It has gradually eclipsed an earlier UN-sponsored negotiations framework known as the process.

This month's meeting comes with continued violence threatening plans for a buffer zone around Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold in

and Turkey agreed in September to set up the buffer zone to avert a Syrian regime offensive, but jihadists who hold around 70 per cent of the area have refused to withdraw.

Fighting in the area has continued, with jihadists on Friday killing 22 regime fighters in an attack on government forces in the northwest of Hama province near the planned zone.

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First Published: Mon, November 19 2018. 15:25 IST