Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Astana, SANA- The eighth round of talks on Syria in Astana has kicked off with the participation of the Syrian Arab Republic delegation, headed by Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari, and delegations of the three guarantor states of the cessation of hostilities agreement (Russia, Iran and Turkey.)
On Thursday morning, the Syrian Arab Republic delegation met with the Iranian delegation, headed by Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hossein Jaberi Ansari.
Talks during the meeting with the Iranian delegation dealt with the coordination and consultation between the two sides to contribute to the success of Astana meeting.
Earlier, the delegation also held a meeting in Astana with the Russian delegation, headed by Russian President’s Special Envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, in framework of 
Astana 8 meeting on Syria.
During the meeting, the two delegations discussed the issues on the agenda of this round as they agreed on the importance of these consultative meetings for the success of the Astana process.
The Syrian Arab Republic delegation, headed by Dr. al-Jaafari, arrived in Astana on Thursday to participate in Astana 8 meeting on Syria.
In the framework of the meeting, 
the Russian delegation, headed Lavrentiev, held two separate meetings with the Iranian and the Turkish delegations.
After the bilateral meetings, a tripartite meeting will be held between delegations of the three guarantor states of the cessation of hostilities agreement (Russia, Iran and Turkey.)
A Russian source close to the Astana 8 meeting said that the guarantor states decided not to expand the list of the participants in Astana process.
Regarding the Syrian National Dialogue Congress due to be held in the Russian city of Sochi, a source close to the Astana 8 meeting said that the representatives of the guarantor states will discuss on the sidelines of the current meeting the date for the Congress and the list of its participants.
Several bilateral meetings started on Thursday morning among the parties participating in Astana 8 meeting on Syria, according to Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Anuar Zhaynakov.
English Bulletin
