CAIRO, January 22. /TASS/. Egypt has received a formal invitation from Russia to take part in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi scheduled for late January, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement obtained by the TASS representative office in Cairo on Monday.
"Russia has forwarded to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry an invitation to the conference involving Syria's national forces, which will discuss the mechanism for achieving a political solution to put an end to the crisis in the country," he noted.
The spokesman reiterated "Egypt’s stance in favor of a political solution in Syria, which should preserve the Syrian state, its unity and meet the aspirations of people in that country who continue to be affected by the scourge of the war and destruction." He stressed that Cairo "supports the current UN-brokered talks in Geneva on the basis of a political settlement" and "welcomes any other initiatives," if they are aimed at promoting these efforts.
The Syrian National Dialogue Congress is scheduled to be held in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi in late January. Around 1,500 participants representing various Syrian political forces are expected to take part in the event. In addition to the Syrian parties, it is to be attended by observers, primarily from the UN. One the tasks of the Congress will be setting up a commission to draft Syria’s Constitution.