Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev says ready to host Syria peace talks in Astana

Reuters
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev delivers a speech during a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016 (SPIEF 2016) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 17, 2016. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said on Monday he was ready to host multilateral talks on the conflict in Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana. "Kazakhstan is ready to host all sides for talks in Astana," Nazarbayev said during a visit to St. Petersburg where he has been meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin said on Friday that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had all agreed the Kazakh capital should be the venue for new Syrian peace negotiations. Putin also said last week the next step for Syria would be a nationwide ceasefire. (Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Writing by Peter Hobson; Editing by Andrey Ostroukh)