Moscow: The UN's decision to withdraw Iran's invitation to the Geneva II conference on the Syrian crisis was a mistake, the Russian foreign minister said on Tuesday.
"The interests of the cause essentially require the representation of Iran, like all the other countries of the region," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a press conference.
"In this case, we are speaking about a one-day event Jan 22, to which some 40 foreign ministers from different states, including the most remote regions, have been invited," Xinhua quoted Lavrov as saying.
Meanwhile, Iran said that it would not participate in the Geneva II conference because of the US's irrational insistence on setting conditions for it, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said.
Amirabdollahian said despite Iran's readiness for unconditional participation in the conference, which is aimed at finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis, the US insisted on setting preconditions for the country, the official IRNA news agency reported.
