Erdogan: Ceasefire in Syria begets new hopes

The president was addressing the 9th congress of Turkish ambassadors.

The talks in Astana will open up opportunities for a political settlement, Erdogan said.

Turkey will not allow creating a terrorist zone or corridor near its southern borders, according to Erdogan.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has earlier said that he agreed with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to offer to the conflicting parties in Syria to continue peace talks in Astana.

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev supported this initiative and expressed readiness to provide a platform for such negotiations in Astana.

The Astana meeting is expected to be held on Jan. 23 while a meeting in Geneva will be held on Feb. 8 under the auspices of the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.