MOSCOW. Feb 16 (Interfax) - The outcomes of the Astana are creating grounds for the start of the intra-Syrian negotiating process in Geneva on February 23, Russian Foreign Ministry Middle East and North Africa Department Director Sergei Vershinin, a deputy head of the Russian delegation to the talks in Astana, said on Thursday.
"The truce monitoring group will be working both on compliance with the ceasefire and on getting all parties to stop violating it, as well as ensuring the creation and strengthening of confidence measures which would foster intra-Syrian talks and political settlement under UN [United Nations] aegis," he said.
"Without a doubt the talks are not easy, we understand there is still a great deal of mistrust among the Syrian parties, a great deal has yet to be done, but these are without a doubt reassuring results, we will endeavor to ensure the level of trust goes up," he said.
"All this creates good grounds for the political process in Syria that we all want, that we want to see being successful, to go forward," he said.