"Some media cited the words of Hassan Abdul Azim [the head of Syria's opposition the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change] about the intention to convene a national conference with the participation of the opposition and representatives of the regime in Damascus. It was stated that the parties have received the invitation and agreed to participate in the conference, however, the mentioned parties say that they do not know anything about it," Riyad Naasan Agha said in a statement, received by RIA Novosti.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting the Syrian opposition groups striving to overthrow President Assad. In parallel, Damascus has to counter numerous extremist groups, in particular, Daesh terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
The opposition and Damascus, along with the mediators, have been engaged in the UN-brokered talks. The latest round of intra-Syrian talks took place in Geneva in April. The HNC walked out of the negotiations, citing the continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues.
