Putin Affirms Russia’s Commitment to Support Lebanon’s Sovereignty, Unity

 Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 26, 2019. Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 26, 2019. Reuters
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Putin Affirms Russia’s Commitment to Support Lebanon’s Sovereignty, Unity

 Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 26, 2019. Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 26, 2019. Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin has affirmed his country’s commitment to supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty and unity. This came in a letter he sent Wednesday marking Lebanon’s Independence Day.

Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov delivered the letter to President Michel Aoun.

Putin underscored the importance of preventing any foreign intervention in Lebanon’s internal affairs. He also expressed his confidence about the future of bilateral ties and means of developing them to serve both peoples’ interests and enhance security and stability in the Middle East region.

Aoun discussed with Rudakov the outcomes of the recent visit by Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib to Moscow and the talks he held with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov to bolster relations between both countries.

He asked the ambassador to thank Putin for his prompt response to Lebanon’s request for the satellite images Russia had for Beirut’s port before and after the blast on Aug. 4 last year.

“We will hand the images to judicial authorities, hoping that they help in revealing new facts about this crime,” Aoun affirmed.

Russia handed over on Monday satellite images prepared by its space agency Roscosmos for the Beirut port after a request from the Lebanese president.

Aoun further hailed Moscow’s initiatives to help Lebanon overcome the current harsh circumstances.



Tunisian Court Sentences Opposition Leaders to Jail Terms of 13 to 66 Years

Forty people are being tried in the case (Reuters).
Forty people are being tried in the case (Reuters).
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Tunisian Court Sentences Opposition Leaders to Jail Terms of 13 to 66 Years

Forty people are being tried in the case (Reuters).
Forty people are being tried in the case (Reuters).

A Tunisian court handed jail terms of 13 to 66 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring against state security, the state news agency TAP reported on Saturday, citing a judicial official.
The state news agency did not provide further details about the sentences.
Forty people, including high-profile politicians, businessmen and journalists, were being prosecuted in the case. More than 20 have fled abroad since being charged.
Some of the opposition defendants - including Ghazi Chaouachi, Issam Chebbi, Jawahar Ben Mbrak, Abdelhamid Jlassi, Ridha Belhaj and Khyam Turki - have been in custody since being detained in 2023.
"In my entire life, I have never witnessed a trial like this. It's a farce, the rulings are ready, and what is happening is scandalous and shameful," said lawyer Ahmed Souab, who represents the defendants, on Friday before the ruling was handed down.
Authorities say the defendants, who include former officials and former head of intelligence, Kamel Guizani, tried to destabilize the country and overthrow President Kais Saied.
"This authoritarian regime has nothing to offer Tunisians except more repression," the leader of the opposition Workers' Party, Hamma Hammami, said.
Saied rejects accusations that he is a dictator and says he is fighting chaos and corruption that is rampant among the political elite.