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How Russia sees protests in Lebanon, Iraq

Russian officials have adopted a wait and see approach to the ongoing protests in Lebanon and Iraq, but the stance has some principles Moscow follows.
Students carry Lebanese flags during ongoing anti-government protests near the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2019. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC2D6D999YE7

The protests in Lebanon have grabbed the attention of Russian officials and social media users. In many ways, both groups have projected the developments in the Middle East onto Russia’s own domestic realities.

Perhaps this was the reason it took Moscow a while to voice an opinion on the dynamic developments in Lebanon. On Nov. 5, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also the Kremlin’s special envoy for the Middle East and Africa, met with Amal Abou Zeid, an adviser to Lebanon's President Michel Aoun. Following the encounter, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it regards any external attempts to interfere in the Lebanese affairs as inadmissible.

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