NUR-SULTAN (EX ASTANA) (TASS) — The next international meeting on Syria, planned to be held in Kazakhstan’s capital, may be postponed until November, Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi told reporters on Saturday.

Tleuberdi declared:

There still are plans to hold a meeting. We planned it for late October but I don’t know now, it may be postponed to November.

[…]

No dates have been set yet, because as you can see, the situation in northern Syria is getting more complicated. Dialogue between the guarantor countries is crucial, they should decide what to do now. We are waiting for them to inform us what date they consider to be the most appropriate.

When asked if Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria could affect the Nur-Sultan talks, Tleuberdi said:

Developments in Syria make it clear that the Astana process is still relevant. Countries participating in efforts to resolve the situation in Syria should come to the negotiating table and discuss the issue once again.

The 13^th high-level international meeting on Syria was held in the Kazakh capital on August 1-2. The talks involved delegations of the guarantor countries (Russia, Iran and Turkey), the Syrian government and Syria’s armed opposition. High-ranking officials from the United Nations, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq participated in the event as observers.

On October 9, Ankara announced the launch of Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish positions. The operation’s goal is said to create a buffer zone along the Turkish border, where, according to Ankara, Syrian refugees residing in Turkey could return. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) slammed the operation as aggression.