Trio discuss Date for Fresh Syria Talks

Russia, Iran and Turkey discussed the date for a new round of talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital Astana, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday, TASS reported. “The countries —guarantors of the Astana process— are working out a new timeframe for holding another round of the international meeting on Syria in Astana,” Zakharova said.

“Active consultations are underway to agree on the package of documents related to implementing the May 4 memorandum,” she said. On May 4, the trio agreed to set up four de-escalation zones in Syria. The zones include Idlib Province and some areas in the neighboring provinces, an area north of Homs, the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta and a couple of provinces in southern Syria.

In those areas, outlawing combat operations, along with the establishment of a no-fly zone for military aircraft, were set as of May 6. The memorandum was concluded for six months and can be extended automatically.