BEIRUT, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon was invited Thursday to participate in peace talks on Syria in the Russian town of Sochi this month, the National News Agency reported.

Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zaspikin extended the invitation during a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

"We consider this conference to be of great importance. It is a very important step toward the political settlement in Syria, and it is based on Security Council resolution 2254," Zaspikin said after the meeting.

The Russian diplomat said a substantial role will be played in support of Syrians by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Syria's neighboring countries.

"The inter-Syrian dialogue is the cornerstone of this conference," he noted.