The Lebanese Republic and the Russian Federation, hereinafter referred to as the Parties,
Building on the long traditions of friendship, partnership and mutual respect between their peoples, and based on the treaties and agreements concluded between the two countries,
Reaffirming their desire to develop bilateral ties and mutually beneficial cooperation,
Striving to contribute to the establishment of a more just and democratic world order based on collective decision-making in addressing global issues, the rule of law, most importantly the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and equal and mutually beneficial cooperation between states,
Supporting the strengthening of international peace through ensuring common, comprehensive, sustainable, equal and indivisible security,
Guided by their aspiration to maintain dialogue on key global and regional issues of mutual political interest, including building stability in the Middle East and supporting efforts to search for ways to settle conflicts through peaceful means based on the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states,
Have stated the following:
The Parties support continued joint efforts aimed at strengthening the central coordinating role of the United Nations in ensuring peace, security and sustainable development, and further improving its efficiency. They stand ready to enhance and expand cooperation within the UN and other international and regional organizations.
The Parties believe that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes a major threat to international peace and security, regional and global stability and sustainable development. They will continue to cooperate in countering this global evil in accordance with the norms of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the relevant UN SC resolutions.
The Parties note that the violation of the principles of sovereignty and equality of States, the use of terrorist and extremist organizations as instruments to achieve political and geopolitical goals are inadmissible; they emphasize that terrorism has nothing to do with any culture, religion or ethnicity.
Respecting the independence, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and absolutely convinced that there is no alternative to the peaceful resolution of the Syrian issue, they advocate settling this conflict through political and diplomatic means based on UN SC resolution 2254 and the decisions made by the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi.
They strongly support the efforts taken by the SAR authorities and its allies to combat terrorism as represented by ISIL, the Nusra Front and their affiliated groups.
The Parties note the effective and fruitful work of Russia, Iran and Turkey within the Astana format to create conditions for the political process to be launched and violence to be reduced in Syria.
The Parties support the efforts aimed at implementing Russia’s initiative to ensure the return of Syrian refugees and IDPs. They believe that a solution to this problem depends directly on the creation of the appropriate conditions, including social and economic ones, in Syria through its post-conflict reconstruction. They call on the international community, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to provide all possible assistance to this process.
They stress the need to implement the provisions of UN SC resolution 1701 and fully support the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which assists the country in ensuring its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
Expressing concern with the situation in Yemen, they advocate for finding a political solution to the crisis based on nation-wide dialogue and providing active international support for overcoming its grave humanitarian and economic consequences.
They come out in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq as well as the efforts of the country's authorities in the fight against terrorists, in particular ISIL and other extremist groups.
They will coordinate their approaches with a view to securing a comprehensive and just settlement in the Middle East underpinned by an adequate international legal framework. They express hope that a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian problem will be found and emphasize the need to realize national rights of the Palestinian people.
They support efforts aimed at prevention and peaceful resolution through inclusive dialogue of all crises in the Middle East and North Africa in compliance with all the norms of international law.
They call for finding a fair solution to the Iranian nuclear issue taking into account the legitimate right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the peaceful atom in accordance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The Parties intend to cooperate for enhancing international stability, ensuring non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. They will coordinate their efforts and facilitate the establishment of a WMD-free zone in the Middle East.
The Parties will continue to promote the need to develop dialogue among civilizations and enhance mutual understanding and confidence among members of different religions and cultures both at the country level and on the global scale.
They intend to further contribute in every possible way to developing and intensifying the political dialogue between Russia and Lebanon, including at the parliamentary level, enhancing and expanding bilateral relations in trade and economy, investment, energy, culture, humanitarian field, education, sports, tourism, and other areas of cooperation.