MOSCOW, October 31 /TASS/. Russia welcomes the end of the presidential crisis in Lebanon that started in May 2014 and hopes for further steps to strengthen and sustain stability in the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a comment devoted to the election of the president of Lebanon.
"The president of Lebanon was elected on October 31 in accordance with procedures provided under the Lebanese Constitution and following the results of a vote staged in the country’s parliament," the Russian Foreign Ministry comment said.
"Michel Aoun, a well-known Christian politician and the founder of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement, was elected the president of Lebanon by 83 votes in the 128-seat Lebanese parliament," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"We note with satisfaction that the presidential crisis, which had been under way in Lebanon since May 2014, has been overcome," the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized. "We hope that it will be followed by steps, which are in high demand by the country’s citizens, to strengthen sustainable stability and ensure sustainable development," the Russian Foreign Ministry went on to say.
The ministry also noted that Moscow had always said that the preservation and effective work of Lebanon’s state institutions were the backlog of internal peace and unity of that multi-confessional country.
The Russian side actively contributed to reaching national consensus in Lebanon during contacts with all the socio-political forces in Lebanon without exception," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"Russia intends to make further energetic efforts to support Lebanon’s sovereignty and the rights of the Lebanese people to determine their future independently in compliance with the Lebanese Constitution through broad dialogue of political and confessional forces," the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.