MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The fourth round of UN-backed intra-Syrian talks between the government and opposition factions began on Thursday. The discussions are expected to center around governance, constitutional issues and elections in Syria.
The previous Geneva talks were held on April 13-27, when the HNC walked out of the negotiations, citing the continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues.
The military conflict in Syria has been continuing since March 2011. Since September 2015, at request by Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russia has been providing military aid to the government.
On February 19, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said the talks on Syrian ceasefire held between Russia and Turkey had more chances to succeed than any other discussions.
