Ambassador to Lebanon voiced Russia's position on extending the mandate for UN peacekeepers

At the end of August, Russia will vote in the UN Security Council to maintain the peacekeeping contingent in Lebanon (UNIFIL), despite reports suggesting a complete curtailment of the mission. This was reported to Izvestia by the Russian Ambassador to Beirut, Alexander Rudakov.

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"We have historically supported the presence of peacekeepers along the Blue Line. We will vote with the same spirit at the relevant UN Security Council meeting at the end of August. We proceed from the fact that the extension of the UNIFIL mandate in its current form reflects the interests of official Beirut, which the local authorities have repeatedly conveyed to us as the host country," the Russian ambassador said.

The diplomat also commented on the proposals appearing in the media space to change the format of the mission's work, in particular, to bring it under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, or to completely eliminate it and replace it with multinational forces.

"We treat such scenarios with great caution. First of all, because, unfortunately, they are often based on the pursuit of geopolitical goals, rather than a sincere desire to achieve stability in relations between Lebanon and Israel," said Alexander Rudakov.

Earlier, Haaretz newspaper reported that Israel is seeking to curtail the peacekeeping mission. In turn, the White House denied Israel Hayom's reports about the alleged decision to eliminate UNIFIL, although Washington recognizes that the option of refusing to support the mission is indeed being discussed.