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Syria Support Group to meet in Munich amid new challenges

MUNICH, February 11. /TASS/. Key international actors taking part in an effort to resolve the five-year Syrian crisis will again sit down at the negotiating table on Thursday.

The meeting of the International Syria Support Group at the level of foreign ministers in the so-called Vienna format will be held in Munich ahead of the security conference hosted by Bavaria’s capital for more than half a century.

The previous ministerial-level meeting in the Vienna format includes delegates from the United Nations, the European Union, Russia, the United States, the Middle East countries, China, the League of Arab States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Russia is represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the meetings of the group.

The major challenge for the participants at talks is that 20 countries of the International Syria Support Group have different approaches to the Syrian settlement. The Kurds issue may become a stumbling block.

Moscow stresses that Kurds make up a significant part of Syria’s population and their participation is needed for the success of the political settlement. The United States also tends to include the Kurds in the talks’ format.