MOSCOW, June 19. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia called for stopping hostilities in Lebanon as a way to settle the current political situation in that country.

“We support the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Lebanon,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday, June 19. “We give credit to the United Nations for contributing to the efforts to ensure security on the Lebanese-Israeli border. We believe that all issues should be resolved by the Lebanese themselves in accordance with the effective constitution and through dialogue with all political and confessional forces.”

“We hope that the positive tendencies in the consolidation of Lebanese society, which have manifested themselves in the formation and successful functioning of the government of Prime Minister Salam, will get a new impetus from consensus among the main political forces of the country on the candidate for the presidency of the Lebanese Republic. The Lebanese are good at reaching agreements if no one interferes,” he said.

Lukashevich said Moscow “supports collective efforts to counter terrorist threats and attempts incite an inter-confessional conflict in that country”, the diplomat added.

“We are pleased to note that the security situation has improved,” he said.

“We understand the enormous socioeconomic problems the Lebanese government is facing due to the influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon the own population of which is slightly over four million. We will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Beirut,” Lukashevich said.

He believes that the situation can be settled by “stopping hostilities in neighbouring Syria and restoring peace as soon as possible, which would create conditions in the region for the return of Syrian refugees to their home country”.