Russia will not participate in the Friends of Syria meeting.

Russia cannot participate in a meeting of the Friends of Syria group in Tunisia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Feb. 21, Itar-Tass reported. Lukashevich said the direction of the meeting is not clear, and Russian authorities have questions regarding the final document of the meeting. In a statement, AFP reported, the Foreign Ministry said that while parts of the opposition were invited, representatives of the Syrian government were not, meaning the majority of the Syrian population will not be represented.