MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The intra-Syrian talks in Geneva did not produce any results in the conflict settlement, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Belarus’ ONT channel on Thursday.
"There is nothing substantial in all the Geneva meetings. Not even one per million. It is null," Assad said as translated and quoted by the Syrian state run SANA news agency.
The Syrian leader also characterized the Geneva talks as "merely a meeting for the media" adding that they were aimed at pushing the Syrian government to making concessions.
"In Astana, the dialogue was with the armed terrorists under Russian sponsorship and based on a Russian initiative. Iran and Turkey joined later. Turkey is the terrorists’ guarantor and Russia and Iran are the guarantors of the legitimate Syrian state. This started to produce results through more than one attempt to achieve ceasefire, the most recent of which is what’s called the de-escalation areas," Assad said.
"As a Russian initiative, it is correct in principle. And we supported it from the beginning because the idea is correct. As to whether it will produce results or not, that depends on the implementation," the Syrian president added.
The new round of UN-mediated negotiations in Geneva will be held on May 16 and has a target end date of May 19, Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced earlier on Thursday.
The latest round of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations took place on March 23-31.
The civil war in Syria has been lasting for around six years with government troops fighting against numerous opposition factions and terror organizations such as al-Nusra Front and Daesh, outlawed in Russia.
The nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime was introduced on December 30, 2016. Terrorist organizations are not part of the ceasefire.
