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New UN special envoy for Syria to visit Moscow next week

Geir Pedersen took office on January 7

GENEVA, January 17. / TASS Corr. Konstantin Pribytkov/. New UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen plans to visit Moscow next week, his representative Reem Ismail told TASS on Thursday.

"I can confirm his plans to go on a trip next week," the official said, when replying on whether a visit to Russia was on Pedersen’s schedule.

Previously Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov stated that Pedersen would arrive in Moscow next week, where he would hold a series of meetings on settling the Syrian conflict.

Pedersen, who took office on January 7 in Geneva, made his first visit to Damascus this week. He described the meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem as constructive and tweeted that both sides emphasized the need for a "political solution based on the UN Security Council Resolution 2254." According to the UN diplomat, a deal was reached where he would be visiting Damascus "on a regular basis."

Geir Pedersen replaced Staffan de Mistura, the UN’s previous envoy to Syria for more than four years. Pedersen was Norway’s Permanent Representative to the UN in 2012-2017 and worked as Ambassador to Beijing. In the Middle East, he carried out the mission of the UN Special Envoy for Lebanon in 2005-2008 and from 1998 to 2003, Pedersen served as Norway’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority.

De Mistura repeatedly visited Russia during his mandate.

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