Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has said that there is currently an anti-Lebanon campaign in the Middle East, aimed at “intimidating” his country and forcing it to give up a joint gas project with Russia.
Beirut has faced certain difficulties in the course of its own efforts to “stabilize the region,” the Lebanese foreign minister said on Friday, ahead of his talks with Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. He revealed that, prior to the current crisis, Lebanon was “almost at a threshold of the first-ever contract to develop shale-gas fields with… Russian companies.” However, a campaign to hinder the deal “under various pretexts” is now underway, he claimed.
“Some countries are trying to use certain forces to remove the head of Lebanon,” he said.
Stating that a “campaign to intimidate Lebanon” had been launched, Bassil said that Beirut hopes Moscow would intensify its efforts aimed at “providing a balance of forces” in the region. Russia has always played a “great role” in fighting terrorism and de-escalating conflicts, he added.
“We count on further bilateral cooperation, and also on [working] on other issues, including restoring [peace] in Syria,” Bassil told Russia’s senior diplomat.
Bassil thanked Russia for its support to Lebanon and to all local dialogue-based solutions, without any foreign interference.”
“We will put the data that we have with regard to the current crisis in your hands. That is why we chose Moscow to be the last country we visit within this tour,” he told Lavrov.
“The issue is related to stability in Lebanon and the region. Lebanon was on the verge of signing contracts to extract gas from the Lebanese sea,” Bassil said.
“There is an attempt to divert Lebanon from the positive path it is taking. There is an ongoing intimidation campaign to frighten Lebanon and eradicate the elements of power it has in the face of terrorism,” he added.
Bassil also mentioned that some Lebanese politicians were involved in what happened with PM Hariri in Saudi.
Lavrov, in turn, said “We are keen that security in Lebanon prevails and that government institutions work effectively.”
He added that Moscow stands for solving Lebanese issues through legal means, but without interference from the outside.
Source: RT
