Syria negotiators from Iran, Russia & Turkey head to Kazakhstan for talks

Delegations from Iran, Russia, and Turkey were in Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan on Thursday for talks aimed at ending the conflict in Syria. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that teams from the three powers as well as negotiators from the Syrian government and its armed opponents had arrived in the capital. Talks are being held in “two-way and three-way formats” ahead of an expected plenary session on Friday, the ministry said. UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen was expected to arrive later in the day. The situation in the northwestern region of Idlib, under the administrative control of Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is expected to feature prominently in the talks, AFP said. Idlib has been protected from a massive government offensive by a September deal inked by Damascus ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey.