15 Jan 2019 16:25

Lebanon should address its issues without foreign interference - Lavrov

MOSCOW. Jan 15 (Interfax) - Lebanon should address its domestic problems without any interference from abroad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a telephone conversation with acting Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gebran Bassil on Tuesday, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The Russian side affirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and stability of a friendly Lebanon. Sergei Lavrov underscored that Russia holds that urgent issues on the Lebanese national agenda should be addressed within the legal framework and based on the Constitution and a constructive dialogue between the leading political forces of the country, and that any interference in its internal affairs from abroad is unacceptable," it said.

The ministers exchanged opinions on the situations in Lebanon, Syria, and the Middle East as a whole, the ministry said.

"They mentioned the danger of the negative influence of bitter regional conflicts, primarily the crisis in Syria, on stability and security in Lebanon and discussed opportunities for stepping up joint efforts to promote the repatriation of Syrian refugees," it said.

Lavrov and Bassil also discussed Russian-Lebanese relations and expressed the intention to strengthen them further, the ministry said.