'Russia is seeking to come back on the Lebanese economic, political and diplomatic scene by activating its soft power,' expert Yeghia Tashjian tells Newsweek.
's moves in Ukraine, the Kremlin has quietly sought to capitalize on its growing influence in the Middle East to court Lebanon in a bid to advance the Kremlin's geopolitical interests at the expense of the White House.
Still, the Kremlin has a plan to exert influence today in a country in which it has struggled to do so in the past. While Amal Movement chief Nabih Berri has served as parliament speaker since 1992, the presidency and premiership have shifted frequently over the past three decades, with recent years proving especially tumultuous.
At the same time, Zaitsev said Russia knew Frangieh"well," referencing his travels to Moscow and engagements with senior Russian officials such as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. just days before Frangieh's meeting with the Kingdom's envoy, the Syrian leader remains a polarizing figure in Lebanon, and is still openly rejected by the West.Ties between the Frangieh and Assad families date back to the 1950s when Frangieh's grandfather took refuge in Syria amid unrest and forged close ties with future Syrian President Hafez al-Assad before becoming president of Lebanon in 1970, ultimately overseeing the country when it devolved into civil war in 1975.
Yeghia Tashjian, an associate fellow also at the American University of Beirut's IFI, described Frangieh as"a reliable partner and ally for Russia."that"this doesn't mean that Moscow is insisting on him, Russians are being cautious and playing a low-profile game, given the fact that they became experienced in the Lebanese scene, which can be full of surprises."
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