SOCHI (TASS) — The United States refused to participate in an international meeting on Syria in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi though it had been invited, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev told reporters on Tuesday.

“We also sent an invitation to the conference to our American partners […] but unfortunately, it was rejected. The Americans are occupied with domestic affairs and apparently, they haven’t determined their Syria policy yet”, he pointed out.

Lavrentyev noted that the previous meeting of the Astana group on Syria had taken place more than a year ago because coronavirus restrictions had affected such activities. The Sochi meeting will last for two days. Bilateral and trilateral consultations are being held on February 16 (today) and a plenary session is scheduled for February 17.

Lavrentyev told also reporters Turkey is interested in hosting a meeting on the return of Syrian refugees. He pointed out that a meeting on the refugee issue had taken place in the Syrian capital of Damascus in November 2020. “Initiatives were put forward to hold the next round of talks in Beirut, and Turkey expressed interest in hosting a meeting on refugees. So we will discuss what we should do to promote this important issue”, Lavrentyev said.