ASTANA. Jan 24 (Interfax) - The escalation in the Gaza Strip may affect Syria and draw it into the regional conflict, but this scenario should not be allowed to happen, Russian Special Presidential Representative for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said.
"The situation in the Gaza Strip has an effect on the situation in Syria. The number of Israeli airstrikes on the sites of Iranian detachments in the Syrian territory has grown, and we strongly reject this way of solving the problem, as it leads to escalation of violence. We do not want Syria to be drawn into the regional conflict and we will do our best to prevent this," Lavrentyev said at the Syria talks in Astana.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be settled quickly to avoid further escalation, he said.
"There is the state of Israel, so there should be the state of Palestine, as well. This issue should not be postponed, but resolved as soon as possible or else all of us will bear witness to escalation of violence throughout the Middle East," Lavrentyev said.
The 21st meeting on Syria with delegations from Russia, Turkey and Iran began in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday. The negotiations will last for two days, January 24 and 25.
The Kazakh Foreign Ministry said earlier that the agenda included regional developments, efforts towards a comprehensive settlement in the Syrian Arab Republic, the humanitarian situation in Syria, and mobilization of international efforts to assist in Syria's post-conflict recovery among other issues.