World Bulletin / News Desk

The ninth round of Astana talks on Syria will take place in the middle of May, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday.

The Iranian, Russian and Turkish foreign ministers will head the summit, Lavrov said at a news conference following the meeting in Moscow with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts.

"We discussed the preparation to the ninth international meeting on Syria in Astana which we will hold in the middle of May," he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif added that this meeting would be devoted to political and humanitarian issues.

"The Astana process is being promoted by all participating countries. Soon, in the middle of May, three countries will hold a meeting on political and humanitarian issues", he said.

In addition, a working group session will discuss the liberation of hostages as well as the exchange of prisoners and of the bodies of the deceased, Zarif added.

All three ministers underlined that the Astana process was the only format that reduced tensions in Syria.