Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared Monday that Russia opposes any foreign intervention in the Lebanese internal affairs, stressing that Russia’s view goes in line with Lebanon’s position regarding the return of the Syrian refugees.
During a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Lavrov said that he discussed with Bassil matters related to the return of the refugees and means to work to realize the goal.
“US refusal to take part in the reconstruction of Syria was designed to impede the return of Syrian refugees to the country,” Lavrov pointed out, adding that Washington was only interested in rebuilding parts of Syria where the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was active.
In turn, Bassil announced that the Russian initiative is the first international initiative related to the return of the Syrians, “and this is why Lebanon supports it,” stressing that Lebanon supports the quick and safe return of the refugees, without connecting the return to the political solution.
“We discussed the possibility of opening direct contact between the Lebanese Foreign Ministry and the Russian Foreign Ministry and the institutions of both countries in order to execute the Russian initiative,” he stated.
The Lebanese minister stressed the need that Lebanon serves as a platform for the reconstruction of Syria, noting that the strategic cooperation between Lebanon and Russia is very important at this stage.