The senior Syrian diplomat characterized the nature of the Moscow meeting as a preliminary consultation for talks expected to be held in Syria at a later date. "We are not going to have any substantive discussion about the developments in Syria [at Moscow talks]," Mekdad told Kyoto.
According to the news agency, Syrian anti-government organizations and the country’s official envoys will meet in Moscow on January 27. Talks between the Syrian government and opposition will take place on January 28-29.
In recent months Russia has taken an active part in beginning a process of reconciliation in Syria. In October, Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that all the neighboring countries should have their say in the Syrian peace talks. Later Moscow proposed to host a meeting between the country’s government and its opposition.
Last Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Syrian reconciliation talks will take place late in January 2015.
