TEHRAN – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that the negotiations on the settlement of the Syrian armed conflict will begin in Astana, Kazakhstan, on January 23.

“The negotiations will begin in Astana on January 23. We will continue work over the political settlement [of the Syrian crisis],” the Turkish foreign minister said in an interview with the Anadolu news agency.

Cavusoglu also said that Russian officials will visit Turkey on January 9-10 to discuss the framework for Syrian peace talks.

Late last month, the Syrian government and the militant groups reached a ceasefire, brokered by Russia and Turkey.

The ceasefire came after an earlier truce in Aleppo paved the way for the evacuation of remaining civilians, putting back the northwestern city under the control of Damascus after years of infighting.

The diplomatic achievements were reached following trilateral talks on Syria among Iran, Russia and Turkey in Moscow, where the three parties underlined the need for an “all-Syria truce”.

Iran has on numerous occasions expressed determination to help restore peace to war-torn Syria, and has emphasized that the Islamic Republic will defend Syria’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

“We will not allow Syria to turn into a place, where other countries, the least of which Iran, can exert their influence,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi told a press conference on Monday.

MH/PA