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Moscow to host consultations of Syrian government, opposition in January — ForMin

UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is not expected to attend the Moscow meeting, although his participation is not ruled out, Alexander Lukashevich said
Russian Foreign Ministry  ITAR-TASS/Sergei Bobylev
Russian Foreign Ministry
© ITAR-TASS/Sergei Bobylev

MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. The representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition are due to meet in Moscow after January 20, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

Lukashevich said the meeting will be “informal” and does not envisage sending official invitations.

UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is not expected to attend the Moscow meeting, although his participation is not ruled out, the diplomat said.

“I do not rule out such a possibility, although the concept of the Moscow meeting envisages exchanging views between the conflicting parties,” Lukashevich said.

At the meeting, the Syrian opposition will attempt to formulate its opinion, and it will be later joined by the government representatives in an effort to try to “work out the vision of the way out of the crisis.”

The inter-Syrian consultations in Moscow are not expected to be attended by Syrian President Bashar Assad, but the format of the delegation will be defined by Syria’s authorities, he added.

“I think that the level of the president of the Syrian Arab Republic is not for this consultative meeting,” Lukashevich said. “Negotiators have been named  they are the foreign minister and the first deputy.”

“But it is up to Syria’s authorities to decide on the format for the delegation to be sent for Moscow’s consultative meeting,” the diplomat said.