MOSCOW. Jan 10 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu hopes that the Astana negotiations can launch a peace settlement in Syria and servicemen from other countries will join the war on terrorism in that country.
"Thanks to the efforts of the Russian Federation, the Syrian Armed Forces, and our colleagues and partners, who have joined this complex and hard mission, it was agreed to hold a meeting in Astana and to launch the political process of Syria ceasefire negotiations," the minister said at a meeting with Russian military commanders on Tuesday.
The Russian Aerospace Forces suspended the hostilities in Syria late last year, except for their strikes on international terrorist groups ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra banned in Russia.
"In all the rest [the fight against terrorism in Syria], the operation goes on and I hope it will be joined by other colleagues of ours, I mean aviation and forces from other countries," he said.