Putin Hails Suleiman's Efforts to Safeguard Lebanon as Bogdanov Meets Senior Officials

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov handed over on Friday to President Michel Suleiman a letter of support from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Putin hailed in the letter to the efforts exerted by Suleiman to maintain stability in Lebanon, expressing support to the resumption of the all-party talks and to the dissociation policy adopted by the Lebanese government.

Lebanese authorities have officially followed the policy to distance the country from the Syrian conflict. But they have also been reluctant to publicly blame either regime forces or rebel fighters for fire hitting villages and towns near the border with Syria.

Bogdanov also called on Lebanese officials to cooperate with the efforts undertaken by the president to preserve the civil peace.

For his part, Suleiman urged Russia to help Lebanon in resolving the crisis caused by the large influx of Syrian refugees fleeing the 2-year conflict in the neighboring country as the Lebanese government has limited capacities.

He later held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain el-Tineh, saying: “We are proud of our ties with Lebanon and hope that the Lebanese would find the appropriate solutions to all issues.”

The two officials the situation in Lebanon, mainly the cabinet formation process and the preparations for the elections, as well as the developments in Syria.

“We agree with Berri that dialogue is the only solution to all problems and crises,” he added.

Earlier, Bogdanov held separate with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati and caretaker FM Adnan Mansour on the second day of his tour on senior Lebanese officials.

The Russian diplomat told reporters after talks with Miqati at the Grand Serail that the meeting tackled the bilateral ties between the two countries.

He urged officials to safeguard security, stability and unity, and to fortify Lebanon's sovereignty and independence and the safety of its territories.

According to a statement issued by Miqati's office, the talks focused on the situation in the region, the conflict in the neighboring country Syria and the conditions of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

“The international community should cooperate with Lebanon to resolve the crisis caused by the huge influx of the Syrian refugees,” Miqati pointed out.

The meeting was held in the presence of Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin and caretaker Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas.

After meeting Mansour at the Bustros Palace, Bogdanov expressed hope that the Lebanese would be able to resolve all their disputes, form a new cabinet and agree on an electoral law.

He later held talks with the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad after which he said: “Officials in Lebanon must work on achieving stability in their country through establishing its sovereignty and security.”

“The Lebanese must search for solutions to their problems through comprehensive national dialogue and we are confident that the political powers will be able to do so,” he remarked.

“We respect the will of the Lebanese people and we value the views of Hizbullah that should be respected given the sacrifices it presented to the country,” he added.

Discussions with Raad also addressed the situation in the region, particularly Syria.

For his part, the MP stated after meeting Bogdanov: “We hope to maintain contacts with Russia in order to preserve stability in the region and Lebanon.”

Bogdanov also met with Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut Elias Audeh to address the abduction of Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Iskanderun Boulos al-Yaziji.

The Russian official said: “We are employing all possible means to contact the authorities in Damascus and the Syrian opposition in order to inquire about the fate of the captives and ensure their release as soon as possible.”

He advised that these efforts take place away from the media spotlight.

The two archbishops were kidnapped at the hands of gunmen on Monday in the outskirts of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Bogdanov's four-day official visit to Beirut comes in light of the rising threats caused by the Syrian turmoil given that the cross-border violations of Lebanese territories have recently increased.

Lebanon has suffered a significant spillover of Syria's conflict, with frequent cross-border shelling of both Sunni and Shiite areas in the north and east.

Lebanon hosts the region's biggest Syrian refugee population, which the U.N. says exceeds 430,000 people.