OREANDA-NEWS. November 7, 2008. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov received on November 6 the visiting Lebanese parliament majority leader and prominent member of Lebanese business circles, Saad Hariri.

There was reaffirmed on the Russian side firm support of the political independence and sovereignty of Lebanon and of the line on strengthening its relations with neighbor Arab states on a basis of equal good-neighborliness.

The Lebanese parliamentarian expressed his gratitude for the balanced and constructive line of Russia in Lebanese affairs and in the region, aimed at a comprehensive settlement of the problems of the Middle East.

Lavrov gave a high appraisal of the efforts being undertaken by the Lebanese leadership and the political forces of Lebanon to stabilize the situation in the country and to achieve national consensus based on the fulfillment of the inter-Lebanese agreement reached in Doha this past May. The importance was stressed of further augmenting the positive dynamics in the Lebanese settlement process, of which the elections for the country’s parliament in spring 2009 are designed to become an important stage.