Today begins in the Russian city of Sochi, the Congress of National Dialogue for Syria commissioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin where the participation of Staffan de Mistura, a special representative of the United Nations for Syria, is also expected.
Following the peace talks held by the United Nations in Vienna between 25 and 26 January, the opposition supported by Saudi Arabia has decided not to participate in the work of this congress.
According to the organizers of the congress, around 1600 delegates representing all strata of Syrian society were invited to take part in the event. Most of the delegates, including those representing the Damascus government, come from Syria. Among them are opposition members of the People's Council of Syria, representatives of major political parties, prominent religious figures from all denominations, representatives of tribes, trade unions and ethnic minorities.
The security measures implemented by the Russian government are enormous. The Russian National Guard, with over 1000 men, will guarantee security at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress.