MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND. Jan 22 (Interfax) - Russia believes there is a realistic chance that the Geneva II international conference on Syria, which was opened in Montreux on Wednesday, could help achieve peace in Syria despite the existence of forces that do not want the conference to be a success, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"It's clear that the inter-Syrian negotiations will not be either simple or speedy. There are quite a lot of forces that supported the Geneva II in words but don't want its success in deeds. And yet the conference provides if not a 100-percent then still a realistic chance to achieve peace in Syria," Lavrov said at the opening of the conference.
"Russia is prepared for such work," he added.