TASS- Russian representatives have informed Kazakhstan about the plans to hold a meeting on Syria in Astana on June 12-13

Russian representatives have informed Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry about the plans to hold an international meeting on settling the Syrian crisis in Astana on June 12-13, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov told reporters on Monday.

"Now the countries-guarantors - the Russian Federation, the Turkish Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran - are holding active and intense consultations between each other to finally set the dates of the next round of the Astana process meeting on the Syrian settlement," Abdrakhmanov said.

"Preliminarily, our Russian partners have informed us that they are going to offer their partners to gather in Astana on June 12-13," he said, without giving details on the participants of the meeting.

The sides will discuss the implementation of the memorandum on de-escalation zones, the foreign minister said. "As I understand, it is essential now for the countries-guarantors to confirm the positive tendencies, which we see now on the territory of Syria."

On May 3-4, Kazakhstan’s capital hosted the fourth international high-level meeting on Syria as part of the so-called Astana process. The talks were attended by delegations of the Syrian government and the armed opposition, countries-guarantors of the ceasefire and also high-level representatives of the United Nations, Jordan and the United States.

The major outcome of the meeting was the signing by the countries-guarantors of the ceasefire - Russia, Turkey and Iran - of a memorandum on establishing de-escalation zones in Syria aimed at halting violence, preserving unity and territorial integrity of the country and also political settlement of the conflict.