This will not be the first time the two officials met to discuss the situation in Syria as they did so on December 6, during the Mediterranean: Roman Dialogue in Rome.
According to the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, among the discussion items will be the situation on the ground, distribution of humanitarian aid, facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as the issue of setting up the stable work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.
On Wednesday, Pedersen said that he had a lot of ideas regarding the last issue, which he was going to discuss in Moscow and, later, in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
The Syrian Constitutional Committee is a product of long-standing efforts by international mediators to reconcile the Syrian government and opposition. The 150-member body with equal representation of the government, opposition and civil society was launched on October 30 to work toward drafting a new constitution.
The committee failed to reach a mutually beneficial solution to the Syrian crisis during the two sessions convened so far due to disagreements between the opposition and the government of President Bashar Assad. The third round of talks is currently being planned.
As a UN special envoy, Pedersen played an important role in making the committee's existence possible.
The Syrian civil war has been ongoing since 2011, with Assad’s forces fighting against different insurgent groups. Over the last couple of years, the fighting has wound down, and the Syrian government started paying more attention to a political settlement, rebuilding infrastructure and the return of refugees. Russia has been heavily involved in the post-war efforts, providing humanitarian assistance and medical help.