The flag of the FPM political party. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — The Free Patriotic Movement led by MP Gebran Bassil signed an agreement on Wednesday with “United Russia,” a party founded by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The agreement comes amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.
Here’s what we know:
• The document was signed by FPM Vice-President May Khoreiche, in the presence of the heads of international relations of United Russia and the FPM, Senator Andrei Klimov and Bashir Haddad, respectively. The text mentions that both parties would “exchange expertise, ideas as well as visits.”
• The Lebanese Foreign Ministry had issued a statement denouncing “the Russian invasion” and called on Russia to “immediately halt its military operations.” The FPM criticized the statement, as did Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah, who speculated that the statement might have been sent to the United States Embassy in Beirut for modification before publication.