Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov handed over on Friday to Lebanese President Michel Sleiman a letter of support from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov handed over on Friday to Lebanese President Michel Sleiman a letter of support from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, local media outlets reported.

Putin hailed in the letter Sleiman’e efforts to maintain stability in Lebanon, expressing support to the resumption of the all-party talks and to the dissociation policy adopted by the Lebanese government.

Bogdanov also called on Lebanese officials to cooperate with the efforts undertaken by the president to preserve the civil peace.

For his part, Sleiman urged Russia to help Lebanon in resolving the crisis caused by the large influx of Syrian refugees fleeing the 2-year conflict in the neighboring country as the Lebanese government has limited capacities.

The Russian official later held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain el-Tineh, after separate meetings with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and caretaker FM Adnan Mansour on the second day of his tour on senior Lebanese officials.

He tackled with Lebanese officials the situation in Lebanon and the developments in Syria, urging them to safeguard security, stability and unity, and to fortify Lebanon's sovereignty and independence and the safety of its territories.

Later on Friday afternoon, head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad invited Bogdanov to dinner after which the Russian guest said: “Officials in Lebanon must work on achieving stability in their country through establishing its sovereignty and security.”

“The Lebanese must search for solutions to their problems through comprehensive national dialogue and we are confident that the political powers will be able to do so,” he remarked.

“We respect the will of the Lebanese people and we value the views of Hezbollah that should be respected given the sacrifices it presented to the country,” he added.

Discussions with Raad also addressed the situation in the region, particularly Syria.

For his part, the MP stated after meeting Bogdanov: “We hope to maintain contacts with Russia in order to preserve stability in the region and Lebanon.”
Bogdanov's four-day official visit to Beirut comes in light of the rising threats caused by the Syrian turmoil given that the cross-border violations of Lebanese territories have recently increased.

Lebanon has suffered a significant spillover of Syria's conflict, with frequent cross-border shelling of north and east areas.

Lebanon hosts the region's biggest Syrian refugee population, which the U.N. says exceeds 430,000 people.