On December 17, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed in a phone call the possibility of a meeting between the Syrian conflicting parties in Astana.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev supported the initiative and expressed readiness to provide a platform for such talks in the Kazakh capital.

"The readiness is full on the part of Kazakhstan… I propose to consider January 23 the working date of the planned meeting," Abdrakhmanov told reporters, Sputnik reported.