(VOVworld) – The opposition group in Syria on Tuesday said it was absent from the third round of peace talks held in Astana, Kazakhstan, to protest Russia’s bombing of its positions and civilian areas. Neither Russia nor Syria had a comment about this announcement.

Representative of the Syrian opposition group Nasr al-Hariri (C) at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, following talks with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on March 3rd. (Photo: EPA/VNA)

Earlier, the Syrian government envoy to the Astana talks Bashar al-Jaafari criticized the absence of the opposition. He said the government and its allies, including Russia and Iran, joined the discussion to seek a solution to the Syrian crisis.