Russia working for maximum representation at Congress of Syrian people - diplomat

The convocation of the Congress of Syrian people is Moscow’s initiative, and the date of the event will be discussed during a fresh round of Syria talks being held in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Russian president’s special envoy for Syria, Aleksandr Lavrentyev, said on Monday. Moscow is trying to invite as many participants as possible for the congress to guarantee wide representation of Syria’s political groups, he said. Sputnik quoted a source as saying that the congress would most likely take place in mid-November in Russia’s Sochi. Lavrentyev said it is unclear where the congress would take place or when. The diplomat, who heads Russia’s delegation at the Astana talks, last week visited Damascus. He added that Syrian President Bashar Assad is set to launch dialogue involving various representatives of Syrian society, TASS reported.