By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) – The 22nd International Meeting on Syria, part of the Astana process led by Türkiye, Russia, and Iran, kicked off in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana on Monday.
The two-day meeting, which will end on Tuesday, began with 11 delegations, including representatives from Türkiye, Iran, Russia, Syria and the UN, according to a Kazakh Foreign Ministry statement.
Earlier, the ministry said the meeting will include bilateral and trilateral discussions among delegations, followed by a plenary session and press conference.
Key topics on the agenda include the development of the regional situation around Syria, the current "on-the-ground" scenario, and efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement in the war-torn country.
The talks will also address confidence-building measures such as the release of hostages and efforts to locate missing persons, as well as humanitarian initiatives.
Participants will also discuss mobilizing international support for Syria’s post-conflict recovery and creating conditions for the voluntary return of refugees.
The Astana format talks, the previous session of which took place in January, were launched in 2017 under the guarantors Türkiye, Russia and Iran to resolve the Syrian civil war, which began in early 2011.