Syrian Opposition’s Absence, "Not Convincing," Says Russia

The reasons given by the Syrian opposition for not attending the third round of peace talks in Kazakhstan are "not convincing", Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday.

According to a video released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov, who was speaking at a news conference alongside his Congolese counterpart Jean-Claude Gakosso in Moscow, said: "We believe that the reasons that were stated [by the opposition], at least in the media...are not convincing."

The third round of Syrian peace talks began in the Kazakh capital Astana Tuesday under auspices of Russia, Turkey and Ira​n.

On Saturday, the Syrian opposition called for the postponement of negotiations until March 20 due to cease-fire violations. Opposition delegate Osama Abu Zaid had tweeted the opposition would not attend the meeting.

"They [opposition] say about the breaches of cease-fire but there are always breaches of cease-fire," Lavrov said.

About cooperation with Turkey, he said he spoke with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday.

He said Russian and Turkish military were exchanging information "everyday" over the cease-fire breaches.

Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that Lavrov and Cavusoglu discussed preparations for the Astana meeting and implementation of agreements to maintain the cease-fire as well as the establishment of the “successful” inter-Syrian negotiations.

Following the Dec. 30 cease-fire, the first round of Astana talks were held on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, brokered by Turkey, which backs the opposition, and Russia and Iran, who support the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests. Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and in excess of 10 million displaced, according to the UN.

 Anadolu Agency