Russia hails Hezbollah credibility

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has hailed the credibility of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, saying Moscow will cooperate with the popular movement.

“We cooperate with Hezbollah and respect the Lebanese people’s will… this party, which has proven its credibility [over the course of time], must [have its opinions] respected,” Bogdanov said on Friday.

The visiting Russian official made the remarks after a meeting with Lebanese lawmaker Mohammad Raad, who heads the Lebanese resistance movement’s parliamentary bloc.

Bogdanov further said that the Lebanese officials should find solutions to their political problems through dialogue.

“There might be different viewpoints stemming from various parties but we think the Lebanese should look for solutions via a comprehensive national dialogue,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Bogdanov handed over to Lenbanon’s President Michel Sleiman a letter of support from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Putin praised in the letter the efforts made by Suleiman to maintain stability in Lebanon, voicing support for the president’s efforts to preserve stability in Lebanon as well as dialogue among the various Lebanese parties.

Bogdanov also called for collective regional and international efforts to help find a political solution to the unrest in Syria, reiterating Russia’s opposition to any military intervention in the crisis-hit Syria.

The Russian envoy said that his visit was aimed at supporting Lebanon regarding Syria’s refugees and holding an international conference to discuss the issue.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are supporting the militants.

Several international human rights organizations have accused the militants operating in Syria of committing war crimes.