The next Astana format meeting on the crisis in Syria will be held in Sochi on July 30-31, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said Friday.

“It will be held in the last two days of July, that has essentially been agreed, and in the format that we used before, that is, the three guarantor countries, the observer states and the Syrian parties,” Vershinin said to reporters.

“I believe the work in the Astana format is a big achievement, and we would like to push ahead with these efforts,” he added.

Vershinin, during his talks with the heads of missions of the UN Security Council-permanent members, renewed his country’s insistence on the elimination of terrorism from Syria completely.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Vershinin discussed in detail the situation in Syria. The emphasis was put on the importance of defeating terrorists completely and activating a political process led by the Syrians themselves under the auspices of the United Nations.

Source: SANA