Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the Syrian government was holding talks with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Interfax news agency reported.

Lavrov spoke to his Turkish counterpart by telephone on Tuesday and they agreed to push for a ceasefire and to prepare for the Astana talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow notes with satisfaction the change in the military situation in the country.

“With a sense of satisfaction, we are noting positive changes in military and political situation in Syria,” the spokeswoman said. “On December 22, Syrian government forces took the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo remaining under the control of illegal armed units.” “We see Aleppo’s liberation as the key step toward stabilization in Syria while preserving its unity and territorial integrity, as well as preventing degradation of Syrian state institutes,” Zakharova said. The spokeswoman further noted that Russia has evidence of militants’ war crimes in Aleppo, and that this evidence will be “most widely publicized”. “Soon the evidence of terrorist war crimes in Syria will be handed to the Russian military, the media, and will be given the widest possible publicity,” Zakharova said. The spokeswoman said there are grounds to expect that new discoveries of mass graves following Aleppo’s liberation from militants “will unfortunately continue.” Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov disclosed on Monday that large-scale graves containing bodies with signs of torture, with many missing body parts and many shot in the head, have been uncovered in Aleppo.

Source: Agencies