Russia considers Lebanon as one of its major partners in Arab world

Russia regards the upcoming visit of Lebanese Foreign Minister Jean Obeid as an important event, stated RF Charge D'affaires Ad Interim in Lebanon Andrei Panov in an interview with RIA Novosti. The Lebanese Foreign minister arrives in Moscow on October 5.

According to the Russian diplomat, Moscow considers Lebanon as one of its major partners in the Arab world and "we maintain a comprehensive geopolitical dialogue." Russian and Lebanese views on the majority of global issues "are close or coincide," said Mr. Panov.

He also said that during the negotiations in Moscow, the sides would focus on the settlement of the Middle East crisis. Both countries are deeply concerned about the present situation on the Palestinian territories and call for immediate and coordinated steps on the part of the global community toward the revival of the political process based on the "road map" plan.

During the talks, the sides will also exchange opinions on the situation in the south of Lebanon discussing the possibilities of preventing the escalation of political tensions in the region.

The situation around Iraq will be a certain topic of the talks, as well. According to the Russian diplomat, Moscow and Beirut agree that the United Nations must play a bigger role in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq.

As to bilateral economic relations, Lebanon has "a rather decent trade turnover with Russia compared to other countries of the region." During the Moscow round of talks, the sides will discuss the possibilities of increasing the trade turnover in the future, and try to find ways and forms of cooperation in the investment sphere. It is very important for Russia that Lebanon has a substantial re-export potential that attracts Russian investors, stated Mr. Panov.