Lebanon hopes that Moscow will play an important role in resolving the current tensions in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said after a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday.
Lavrov stressed during talks with Bou Habib that the involvement of other countries, including Lebanon, in the ongoing fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed group Hamas was “unacceptable,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry press service. He further called for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, stating that the humanitarian crisis in the enclave must be addressed urgently.
The Russian diplomat also assured his counterpart of Moscow’s commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the ministry added.
Bou Habib expressed hope that Moscow will “play an important role” in diffusing the situation in the region.
”Now, it is difficult to talk about any peace process… A war is currently being waged [in Gaza], and armed clashes with the Israeli army in southern Lebanon are taking place,” he told the Rossiya 1 broadcaster.