"We are not going to Russia to start a dialogue, but to meet with various leaders and discuss with them foundations, upon which the dialogue could be based on, if it ever takes place: for example, unity of Syria, dissolution of terrorist organizations, supporting the army, ant-terrorism fight and other similar topics," the president said.
In early December, Russia's Foreign Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Russia was ready to host initial negotiations between all parties of the Syrian conflict. On Tuesday, he announced that the talks would take place on January 26-29, with the Syrian government and the opposition meeting on January 28.
According to Assad, it is still too early to predict the outcome of the meeting, yet he still believes it is the duty of the government to attend the negotiations.
"If they [opposition] do have something useful, valuable and, most importantly, in the interests of Syrian people, to say, we shall continue the dialogue, and if there is no such thing – we shall not take them seriously," he said.
An 2011 anti-government uprising in Syria triggered a civil war, which has claimed lives of around 200,000 people and displaced many more, according to the UN. A number of insurgent groups, notably the Islamic State, are involved, seeking to topple the Syrian government.
