Moscow advocates a peaceful settlement in Lebanon and is in contact with all political forces in the country, but does not support any of the opposing sides, Russian president Vladimir Putin said.
"Without any doubt, we are always in favor of resolving any conflicts through dialogue, including with regard to Lebanon. We have always tried to do this in one way or another. We are in contact with almost all political forces in Lebanon and will try to do so in the future precisely to resolve the situation without any bloodshed, God forbid, no one is interested in this (in such an outcome - TASS), " said the Russian president, speaking at a meeting of the Valdai international club on Thursday.
Putin added that he did not consider it correct to comment on any domestic political processes in Lebanon. "Whether we support the ultimatum of one side, whether we do not support [it], whether we support the position of the other side. That would mean that we are taking the side of one of the opposing sides, and that would be counterproductive in terms of, perhaps, the effectiveness of our reconciliation efforts," the Russian president explained.
He assured that Moscow would do everything to persuade the conflicting sides "to remain on the platform of common sense and to strive for agreements." According to him, the situation in the Middle East is always on the brink of firing. "The most important thing is to find a platform, on the basis of which we could agree, God forbid, without any shooting. We, Russia, are definitely interested in this," Putin stressed.
On October 14, shootings erupted in Beirut during protests by Shiite parties dissatisfied with the investigation into the 2020 seaport bombing. Seven people were killed and more than 30 were wounded as a result.
Helping investigate the Beirut port bombing
Putin pledged to help investigate the causes of last year's Beirut port explosion if Moscow has such information.
"If we can help in the investigation - to be honest, I don't really understand how some space photos can help, whether we have them - I <...> will of course make inquiries and, if we have it and are able to assist in the investigation, of course we will do so," said the head of state.
Putin noted that "first we need to talk to our colleagues who may have such information."
The Russian president once again expressed his condolences to the Lebanese people in connection with the Beirut port explosion. He said there were "many deaths, the damage is colossal".
The Russian head of state said that he had learned from the media about some of the details surrounding the disaster. "Many years ago saltpeter or something else was brought in, unloaded at the port, and, unfortunately, the local authorities did not deal with it," Putin noted. He added that the imported goods meant to be "...sold profitably." "And the desire to sell profitably clashed with the opportunities to do so, with the market, with some internal contradictions relating to who can get a profit from it and so on," said the president. "In my opinion, the tragedy is mainly related to this, that's all," said the head of state.
A powerful explosion in the port of Beirut occurred on August 4, 2020, killing more than 100 people and injuring several thousand, collapsing the facades of nearby buildings and damaging residential buildings and offices throughout the city.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS