LOC15:23
12:23 GMT
MOSCOW, June 15 (KUNA) -- Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the "Astana talks over Syria" that kicked off in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan (previously Astana) earlier today will focus mainly on the economic, social and humanitarian situation.
The parties concerned will discuss issues including safe return of Syrian refugees, the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in Syria, the work of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva, confidence-building measures, the release of hostages and the search for missing persons, the Russian news agency, Tass, quoted the Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying in a statement.
Delegates from Russia, Iran and Turkiye are participating in the 18th round of these talks, in addition to representatives from Jordan and the United Nations.
Millions of Syrians had been displaced, turned locally homeless or sought refuge in neighboring countries due to the armed confrontations that pitted Syrian government forces against opposition groups as of 2011.
In addition to the Astana track of talks, there had been a series of meetings in Geneva, designed to settle the Syrian question. (end)
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