Report: Hariri’s Adviser Discussed Lebanon's Situation with Bogdanov

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Bogdanov received on Saturday George Shaaban, Prime Minister Saad Hariri's adviser for Russian affairs, the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily said on Monday.

The daily said that Shaaban's visit to Moscow comes in the context of foreign contacts being conducted by Hariri on the situation in Lebanon with key countries and permanent members of the Security Council to explain the developments in Lebanon.

Sources following up on these contacts did not rule out the possibility of Hariri visiting several “decision making” countries, including Moscow in light of accelerating regional developments affecting Lebanon, added the daily.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that Shaaban-Bogdanov discussions highlighted the developments in Lebanon from various political and economic aspects.

The statement affirmed Russia’s “support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence and unity, and for the efforts exerted by its government led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri.”

Al-Hayat added that discussions also tackled the “practical steps to develop the Russian-Lebanese relations in various fields for the benefit of the two countries.”