Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil said Wednesday that the Syrians must decide their own fate and the fate of their country, noting that the flock of Syrian refugees into neighboring countries raises concerns and might change the region.
Following his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Bassil said that a strong Lebanon is the strongest fight against terrorism, pointing out that the most important thing is fighting the terrorists’ ideologies and sources of funding.
Prior to the meeting, FM Bassil praised “the positive role played by Russia in fighting terrorism in Syria,” noting that “the isolation policies were useless.”
“A political solution is the only solution for the Syrian crisis,” he stressed, adding that the Islamic State does no longer pose a threat solely on the region, but on the whole world, referring to the recent attacks that hit the French capital last week.
For his part, Lavrov said that Russia will do its best to prevent terrorism from expanding into Lebanon, stressing that his country is ready to support the Lebanese Armed Forces.
On another note, Lavrov declared that no agreements were reached during Vienna talks concerning whether or not Syrian President Bashar Assad will take part in the transitional period.