MOSCOW. Dec 27 (Interfax) - Russia, Iran and Turkey will become mediators of a meeting between representatives of Syria's armed opposition and government, scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan's capital Astana in January, as well as guarantors of an agreement that may be drawn up after this meeting, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian deputy foreign minister and the president's special envoy for the Middle East and African countries, told Interfax.
When asked whether these three countries would act as mediators of the Astana meeting, the diplomat said: "Yes, they will."
The presence of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura at the meeting in Kazakhstan is not envisaged, he said.
"The Russian Federation, Iran and Turkey will be the guarantors of an agreement to be formulated at the upcoming meeting in Astana," he said.