Iraq and Lebanon are participating for the first time in the Astana talks

ARK News: The Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan announced on Friday the participation of Iraq and Lebanon for the first time in the Astana talks on Syria scheduled for early August.

A Kazakh Foreign Ministry statement mentioned that "the next Thirteenth International Meeting on Syria in the context of Astana process in the city of Nor Sultan which will be held on 1-2 August 2019."

The statement added that "the meeting is expected to attend the delegations of the Guarantor States - Iran, Russia, Turkey, the Syrian government and armed opposition groups, "noting that the meeting" will facilitate talks as observers, high-level representatives of the United Nations and Jordan, as well as Lebanon and Iraq, who will participate in the peace process in Astana for the first time. "

The statement noted that "the main focus of the next meeting, will focus on reviewing the current situation in Syria, especially in the province of Idlib and northeast Syria, and take further measures to continue to build confidence between the conflicting parties and push the political process with a focus on the completion of the formation and launch of the Constitutional Committee.”

The statement pointed out that "initial bilateral and multilateral consultations, including with the participation of the Syrian government and representatives of opposition groups, will be held on 1 August and a plenary session - on 2 August."

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