New round of Astana talks on Syria to be held on December 21-22 – Kazakhstan

Another round of Syrian settlement talks will be held in the Kazakh capital of Astana on December 21-22, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The regulation of a working group on the release of prisoners will be discussed, as well as the exchange of bodies of those killed and a search for those who are missing, TASS reported. “Participants are also expected to discuss issues of the operation of de-escalation zones and adopt a joint statement on humanitarian de-mining in Syria, including at UNESCO sites,” the ministry said. The seventh international high-level meeting on Syria was held in Astana on October 30-31, with delegations from the Syrian government and the armed opposition participating.