Astana

Kurdish activists claim Turkey is building up its military forces in northern Syria for an assault on the Kurdish held district of Afrin, a development that could cause serious setbacks in the ongoing American-backed operation to liberate the defacto capital of ISIS, Raqqa.

Turkey and Russia may assume monitoring role in a de-escalation zone in Syria's Idlib, Turkish Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın has said. 

Turkey, Russia and Iran have been working on "logistics" in de-escalation zones in opposition-held areas, Kalın told reporters on late June 21. 

Turkey does not condone "Iranian expansionism" in the Middle East although it does recognize its role and its cooperation in resolving problems in Iraq and Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

ASTANA - Along with world and regional leaders including Russian and Chinese Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic late Friday attended the ceremonial opening of Astana Expo 2017, which has brought together over 110 countries and 20 organisations.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced the birth of his child on Twitter late on Friday.

ASTANA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Kazakh PM Bakytzhan Sagintayev in Astana on Friday to discuss cooperation between the two countries, highlighting the significance of cooperation in the economy, defence industry and technology.

ASTANA - A Kazakh company is interested in the Pancevo petrochemical plant, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Astana on Friday, noting that cooperation in the defence industry was also a possibility.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will from Thursday be paying a three-day visit to Astana, where he will attend the international Expo 2017 as a special guest of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The opening ceremony will also be attended by a large number of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Russian-backed peace talks on Syria in Astana have been pushed back, organizers said on June 8, as key players wrangle over the future of fragile safe zones in the war-torn country.

Moscow and Ankara agree on many critical issues regarding Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a group of reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 1.