Expert comments on Assad's decision not to attend Geneva conference

The second round of the Geneva conference devoted to the ongoing Syrian crisis won't be attended by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Foreign Minister Valid Mualleh will take part in the event instead of him. Vestnik Kavkaza discussed al-Assad's decision not to attend the international conference with the head of the Political and Social Research Centre, Vladimir Yevseyev.

According to Yevseyev, the Syrian president's decision is quite logical. The opposition demands al-Assad's immediate resignation and the formation of an interim government. It's clear that in such a situation no dialogue with al-Assad directly is possible, the expert says.

Yevseyev says he has never believed that President Assad would attend the event. He also says the conference will probably not lead to any fundamental changes in the state of affairs in Syria.