NNA - Caretaker Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Gebran Bassil, began Tuesday his state visit to Russia, where he'd been to ink a bilateral agreement on beefing up Lebanon's newcomer oil resources sector.



"Signing the agreement with Russia tomorrow proves that we are serious in moving forward with the oil dossier," Bassil told an interview with Russia Today channel.



He mainly stressed that Israel had no capacity nowadays to plunder the Lebanese oil. "Lebanon is today capable of deterring Israel," he said.



Lebanon and Israel are marring over a zone that comprises nearly 854 square kilometers especially as suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars to the country's already ailing economy.



Besides, Bassil sounded alarm on the rampant spate of Takfirsm, warning that if it invades Lebanon, it will expand to the entire Mediterranean.



On Syria, he said that democracy meant not to impose convictions by force and by threats.


He did not fail to relay heaps of praise on Russia's flat rejection of any war in the region.


==================R.A.H.