An international high-profile conference on Syria may be held in Geneva at ministerial level, provided that both parties to the conflict agree to reach out to each other and meet on common ground.

An international high-profile conference on Syria may be held in Geneva at ministerial level, provided that both parties to the conflict agree to reach out to each other and meet on common ground.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave the news on Wednesday, after meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Arctic Council session in Sweden.

“We share the opinion that this conference should be held in Geneva,” he said.
The Russian FM also added that “as for the representation, we are talking about ministers and deputy ministers rather than heads of state.”

Lavrov had announced after the two officials’ previous meeting that Russia and the US are on track to hold an international conference on facilitating peace in Syria at the end of May.

The upcoming Geneva talks would be a follow-up to last year’s international Geneva meeting.

Syrian opposition have refused to sit down for talks with the government in the past, however, some hope it will be more willing to participate in the conference and work with Syrian cabinet.

Lavrov added that the invite list should include more names, especially regional countries and Syria’s neighbors, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

He stressed on Tuesday that Iran’s participation in the conference is priority, saying that the Islamic Republic plays a key role in solving the current crisis in Syria.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict, by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.