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4/23/2018 Joint statement by Iran, Russia and Turkey on the International Meeting on Syria in Astana, 21-22 December 2017 - News - The Ministry … http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/3001212 2/2 © The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation 4. Reaffirm their determination to closely interact on a regular basis to support preparation for and convening of the Syrian national dialogue congress in Sochi on 29-30 January 2018 with the participation of all segments of the Syrian society and call on the representatives of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the opposition that are committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-fractional character of Syria to actively cooperate. To this end three guarantors will hold a special preparation meeting in Sochi before the congress, on 19-20 January 2018; 5. Emphasize that they view the upcoming Syrian national dialogue congress as an initiative aimed at giving momentum to negotiation process under the UN auspices in Geneva and facilitating an intra- Syrian agreement based on mutual consent; 6. Adopt, with a view to building confidence between the conflicting parties in Syria, the "Regulation on the Working Group on the release of detainees/abductees and handover of the bodies as well as the identification of missing persons" and the "Joint statement on humanitarian mine action in Syria including the UNESCO list of cultural heritage sites"; 7. Reaffirm their determination to continue implementing the provisions of the Memorandum of 4 May 2017 and other decisions adopted earlier within the framework of the Astana process; 8. Emphasize the need to continue efforts aimed at strengthening the ceasefire regime and ensuring the effective functioning of all four de-escalation areas; 9. Express their sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Kazakh authorities for hosting in Astana the 8 high-level International Meeting on Syria; 10. Decide to hold the next high-level International Meeting on Syria in Astana in the second half of February 2018. Astana, 22 December 2017 t