MOSCOW. Sept 13 (Interfax) - Lebanon is interested in purchasing certain types of Russian weapons and military technology from Russia, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said.
"Some of our weapons were manufactured in Russia, and we would like to receive new technology and also some particular types of military hardware. We are working toward this and will develop this trend in the future," Hariri said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 (VGTRK) television channel.
"We are interested in a lot of what the Russian military industry produces," he said.
"We are fighting ISIL [a terrorist organization banned in Russia], and we also have challenges inside the country; therefore, my goal is to strengthen the armed forces of Lebanon as much as possible," Hariri said.
He answered in the negative when asked whether Lebanon has experienced pressure from the United States in light of its plans to develop its military-technical cooperation with Russia.
"We already have Russian hardware, tanks. I don't think we should fear something because of this. The U.S. is unlikely to be against the strengthening of Lebanon's military power, which will be useful in fighting ISIL and other terrorist organizations. I don't think there could be any conflicts here," he said.
"By receiving the latest Russian weapons, we and other Arab countries are trying to improve the region's security," Hariri said.
"A vivid example is your S-400 system. Lebanon's security is paramount for me. Russia has always supported Lebanon in its fight against terrorism. The U.S. has also supplied a huge amount of military hardware to our country. If not for this, the fight against ISIL would have been far more difficult," he said.
"As for the disagreements between the U.S. and Russia, we'll leave them for you to resolve yourselves," Hariri said.