Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

The new round of talks on Syria in Kazakhstan’s capital is tentatively postponed to June 20, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told journalists on June 8, RIA Novosti reported.

"Intense work is underway on clarifying certain details, preparing some documents which are necessary for the meeting," he said.

The meeting was postponed because the delegations were not prepared, Bogdanov added without providing further details.

Earlier, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said that the planned meeting scheduled for June 12-13 was postponed.

Previously, Russia, Turkey and Iran signed a memorandum on creating four de-escalation zones at talks involving the Syrian government and opposition groups in Kazakhstan’s capital.

The civil war in Syria between government and opposition with various terrorist groups involved, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), began back in March 2011.

Syrian President Bashar Assad managed to turn the tide of war in his favor after Russia started an air campaign in September 2015, while Iran is an uncompromising supporter of the Syrian leader.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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