Putin says Assad, Iran, Turkey have agreed to attend Syria peace talks

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had agreed to attend peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana to try to resolve the conflict in Syria.

Putin said the evacuation of Aleppo would not have been possible without the help of Russia, Iran and Turkey or the good will of Assad. He said the next step for Syria would be a nationwide ceasefire.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said earlier on Friday he expected the talks in Astana to take place in the middle of January.