The Iraqi government has received an official invitation by Russia to take part in the 15th round of Astana talks on Syria which is due to be held in the Russian city of Sochi between February 16 and 17.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Nizar Al-Kheirallah, the Undersecretary of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, held a meeting with the Russian Ambassador in Baghdad Maxim Maksimov during which the Russian diplomat delivered an official invitation to Iraq to take part in the coming Astana talks as an observer.
The two sides exchanged viewpoints on different regional and international issues and stressed the need to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria without foreign interference, the statement added.
The fourth round of Astana talks was held in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan on the 10th and 11th of December 2019. During this round the three guarantor states (Russia, Iran and Turkey) reaffirmed their strong commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and their continuous cooperation to completely eliminate terrorism in Syria. They also stressed their rejection of any separatist agendas in the country.
Hamda Mustafa