30 Sep 2015 20:59

Russia provides aid, given influx of Syrian refugees in Lebanon via Support Group for Lebanon, directly

NEW YORK. Sept 30 (Interfax) - Russia shares concerns over the influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon and provides them with aid both via international and bilateral channels, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

"We share the concerns over the arrival of one and a half million refugees from Syria, provide aid both through United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and directly along bilateral channels," he said when speaking at a meeting of the UN Support Group for Lebanon on Wednesday.

However, Lavrov said that the cardinal solution to the refugee problem requires a prompt "settlement in Syria and assistance to the government of the Syrian Arab Republic in creating favorable preconditions for the return of refugees."