Syrian peace process

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's negotiating team is set to arrive in Geneva on Sunday to participate in peace talks, Syria's state news agency SANA reported on Thursday, quoting a foreign ministry source, reported Reuters.

Syria's top government negotiator said on Friday his team was quitting U.N.-led peace talks in Geneva and might not return next week, blaming the opposition's rejection of any role for President Bashar al-Assad in a transition, reported Reuters.

The divided Syrian opposition announced in the first hours of Friday that it was agreed to send a joint delegation to Geneva. peace talks under the auspices of the UN are next week, the France press reports.

The current summit between Turkey, Russia, and Iran is critical for bringing the tragedy in Syria to an end, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reported. 

"This trilateral summit is highly important for completely ending the bloodshed and tragedy that has been happening in Syria," Erdogan said.

In the Kazakh capital, Astana, a seventh round of talks on settling Syrian war brokered by Turkey, Russia and Iran will address strengthening ceasefire, release of captives and hostages, TRT World reports.
A seventh round of talks on bringing peace to Syria begin on Monday in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Sept. 25 criticized recent Russian airstrikes in the Syrian rebel stronghold of Idlib, saying the bombardments killed several civilians and moderate opposition members in the region.

Speaking a televised interview, Çavuşoğlu also warned that violations of the fragile recent ceasefire targeting civilians could put the Astana agreement at risk. 

Turkey, Russia and Iran have agreed Friday on the borders of the de-escalation zones, including the main opposition-held region of Idlib, at the Syria peace talks in Kazakh capital Astana, reported Daily Sabah. 

The talks will continue in regard to which forces will be deployed in Idlib, Turkey's official Anadolu Agency quoted diplomatic sources.

Diplomats, army and intelligence officials from Turkey, Russia and Iran came together in Kazakhstan's capital a day before of the sixth round of Astana Process talks, which will be held in a bid to discuss the establishment of de-conflict zones inside Syria for cementing cease-fire in the war-torn country, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Sept. 13. 

Representatives from Turkey, Russia and Iran - guarantor powers in the Astana talks - kicked off the sixth round of a high-level trilateral meeting in Tehran, in a bid to reach a consensus on de-escalation zones in Syria, on Aug. 8. 

China encourages all sides involved in the Syrian crisis to establish "contact and dialogue," Chinese special envoy for Syria Xie Xiaoyan said July 24 after talks with Turkish officials in Ankara.