Aoun Hinges on Putin’s Role in Return of Syrian Refugees

Lebanese President Michel Aoun meets Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Tuesday March 26, 2019, in Moscow (NNA)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun meets Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Tuesday March 26, 2019, in Moscow (NNA)
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Aoun Hinges on Putin’s Role in Return of Syrian Refugees

Lebanese President Michel Aoun meets Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Tuesday March 26, 2019, in Moscow (NNA)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun meets Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Tuesday March 26, 2019, in Moscow (NNA)

Lebanese President Michel Aoun asked Russia on Tuesday for assistance in facilitating the return of Syrian refugees.

"We maintain relations with the leadership of your country and with all representatives of political parties," Russian President Vladimir Putin told Aoun in Moscow, noting that this year marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, officials from the Lebanese presidency described Aoun’s two-day visit to Moscow as “excellent,” saying there was Russian consensus on supporting Lebanon and its regional role and stability.

The two leaders agreed to further strengthen and develop friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries, including measures to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees, a Kremlin statement said.

They expressed support to the process of political settlement in Syria and fight against terrorism in the war-torn country.

They also reiterated the importance of Russia's initiative in securing the return of refugees, including those displaced internally.

“Resolving this problem depends directly on ... improving Syria's social and economic conditions, through post-conflict reconstruction,” the Kremlin statement said.

Lebanon has taken in over 1 million refugees from Syria.

Aoun said Lebanon faces an economic fall-out from the Syrian crisis and expressed hope that Putin would help his country repatriate the Syrians.

The Lebanese President discussed the issue on Monday with Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the lower house of Russian Parliament.

"It is in the interest of Europe to resolve the Syrian refugee crisis because the dire economic situation in Lebanon will eventually lead refugees to seek other alternatives, and European countries will be their first destination,” Aoun said.



Macron Tells Netanyahu Ordeal of Gaza Civilians 'Must End'

 French President Emmanuel Macron waits to welcome the president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region for a working lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on April 14, 2025. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron waits to welcome the president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region for a working lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on April 14, 2025. (AFP)
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Macron Tells Netanyahu Ordeal of Gaza Civilians 'Must End'

 French President Emmanuel Macron waits to welcome the president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region for a working lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on April 14, 2025. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron waits to welcome the president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region for a working lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on April 14, 2025. (AFP)

France's President Emmanuel Macron told Israel's leader during a phone call Tuesday that the suffering of Gazan civilians "must end" and that only a ceasefire in Gaza could free remaining Israeli hostages.

"The ordeal the civilian populations of Gaza are going through must end," Macron posted on X after the call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He also called for "opening all humanitarian aid crossings" into the besieged Palestinian territory.

The United Nation has warned that Gaza's humanitarian crisis is spiraling out of control, with no aid having entered the territory for weeks.

Palestinian group Hamas said Monday that Israel had offered a 45-day ceasefire if it releases half of the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

A Hamas official told AFP that Israel had also demanded that the Palestinian fighters disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war, but that this crossed a "red line".

Macron said he told Netanyahu "the release of all hostages" and the "demilitarization of Hamas" were still an absolute priority for France.

He said he hoped for "a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, humanitarian aid, and then finally reopening the prospect of a political two-state solution".

Macron irked Israel last week when he suggested Paris could recognize a Palestinian state during a United Nations conference in New York in June.

Israel insists such moves by foreign states are premature.

But Macron has said he hopes French recognition of a Palestinian state will encourage not just other nations to follow suit, but also countries who do not recognize Israel to do so.

The creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is widely seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the decades-old conflict. Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want all three for a future state. The last serious and substantive peace talks broke down after Netanyahu returned to power in 2009.

A number of European states have recently recognized a Palestinian state in what is largely a symbolic move aimed at reviving the peace process.