ASTANA, Kazakhstan: The next Syria peace talks are not taking place in a storied European city but in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, a “new Geneva” flaunting its role as an international mediator and platform for peace efforts.

Built opulently on former marshland, Astana – which was a minor provincial steppe town before replacing Almaty as the Kazakh capital in 1997 – has become an unlikely gathering place for those pushing for solutions to enduring conflicts.

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