Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov visited Beirut for three days before moving on to Turkey and Syria. More than 20 Lebanese political figures from the different parties met with him, and he held some 10 news briefings, during which he touched on a number of issues, including the Syrian situation, the Iranian nuclear file and the Lebanese presidential elections.
His statements about Lebanon's situation were, however, characterized by vagueness. Several sources who attended meetings between Bogdanov and representatives of Hezbollah and the Change and Reform Bloc told Al-Monitor that his hosts got the impression that he “told each party what it wants to hear” about Moscow’s stance on the Lebanese situation, a practice that raised questions.
