Russian FM meets Mansour, calls for halting arms smuggling

Russian Foreign Minister Serge Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow considers the violation of Lebanese airspace is unacceptable. Following a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Adnan Mansour, Lavrov called for steering clear of weapons smuggling since it will be harmful to the situation in Syria.

“Humanitarian organization should be sent to Syria and violence, no matter its source, must be stopped”, Lavrov added.

Lavrov stressed that Lebanon and Syria have similar points of view on the Iranian nuclear issue and the Middle East peace process.

For his part, Mansour stressed that no country in the world can control its borders 100%, during a joint press conference with Lavrov. “Loopholes will always exist allowing gangs to violate the borders. If we look at the Lebanese-Syrian border we can see how intertwined it is, which will contribute to smuggling weapons to and from Syria”, Mansour added.  

The Lebanese FM noted that the Lebanese army and ISF succeeded in controlling borders and preventing gunmen from crossing the border to a great extent.

“They also confiscated weapons and arrested some who are being tried today”, Mansour added.  

Mansour stressed that Lebanon and Russia speak with one voice when it comes to the Syrian situation, calling for aiding the Syrian leadership to implement reforms.