Syria peace talks to take place in Astana January 23

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that the talks on Syria settlement will be held January 23 in Astana, Bloomberg reports. According to RIA Novosti, earlier Çavuşoğlu said Russian experts are due to visit Turkey on January 9-10, to discuss preparations for the talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted agreeing on offering Astana as new site for negotiations to the conflicting parties, with the Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. According to him, negotiations in Astana can complement talks in Geneva. The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, during the telephone conversation with Putin and Erdoğan has supported this initiative and expressed readiness to provide a platform for such negotiations.