On Wednesday, the Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, whose agenda was the latest developments in Lebanon.
In a statement, the Kremlin stated that the two presidents reviewed in detail the developments of the situation in Lebanon, focusing on the measures taken by Moscow and Paris in order to provide humanitarian support to the Lebanese people in light of the devastating explosion that rocked the port of the capital Beirut on August 4.
Macron, according to the statement, briefed his Russian counterpart on his impressions of his recent visit to Beirut and the results of the hypothetical donors’ conference organized by France last Sunday with the aim of activating international aid to Lebanon.
For his part, Putin stressed, during the exchange of views with Macron on Lebanon, Russia’s position in support of the unity and sovereignty of this country, stressing the need to settle all controversial issues in it by the Lebanese themselves on the basis of constructive dialogue, without any foreign interference.
The two presidents also discussed various issues related to the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, and praised in particular the package of “measures to strengthen the ceasefire regime” signed by the Contact Group for Ukrainian Settlement in the Belarusian capital Minsk on 22 July.
The Russian president reiterated the need for the Ukrainian government to strictly adhere to the political responsibilities entailed by it according to the Minsk agreements, especially with regard to establishing direct dialogue with the self-proclaimed popular republics of Donetsk and Lugansk with the aim of developing the special legal character of the Donbas region within the Ukrainian state.
Putin and Macron agreed to continue working for a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis within the framework of the Normandy Quartet.
The two presidents also touched on the recent developments in Belarus, which is currently going through a wave of social unrest after the presidential elections that concluded last Sunday with the victory of outgoing President Alexander Lukashenko.
With regard to the bilateral agenda and preparations for the possible visit of the French president to Russia, the two sides expressed their common interest in developing ties in the political, commercial, economic and humanitarian fields, while taking steps in the interest of enhancing security and stability in Europe.
The two leaders paid special attention to the importance of continuing cooperation between the two countries in order to combat the spread of the Coronavirus, especially in light of Russia’s registration of the first anti-epidemic vaccine in the world.
Putin also offered Macron his sincere condolences for the recent killing of French citizens in an armed attack in southwestern Niger.
