Russia and Saudi Arabia Cooperating in G20, and Also in Lebanon Crisis

Aug. 13, 2020 (EIRNS)—Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud discussed a wide range of bilateral issues in a phone discussion on Aug. 12. “Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov confirmed support for the activity of Saudi Arabia as G20 chair and Russia’s readiness to contribute towards achieving significant results at the upcoming summit of its leaders and other events within the framework of G20,” TASS quoted the statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The two foreign ministers emphasized their solidarity with Lebanon in the aftermath of the explosion at the port of Beirut on Aug. 4, and confirmed their intention to render any necessary aid to the Lebanese people, according to the press release on the Russian ministry website. They also stressed the importance of creating favorable external conditions to allow the Lebanese themselves to agree on forming a new government through an inclusive dialogue with the main ethnic and religious groups.

In an interview with Lebanon’s MTV, Russian Ambassador Alexander Zasypkin was quoted as saying, “We prefer that a national unity government be formed in Lebanon, headed by Saad Hariri, according to the criteria... We agree to any form of government, given Lebanon’s specificities.” Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is closely tied to Saudi Arabia.