President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, received on Tuesday the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, at Baabda Palace.

The President told the Turkish Foreign Minister that “Lebanon welcomes any assistance that Turkey can provide to facilitate the return of the displaced Syrians to their homes, most of which have become safe, especially in terms of pressure on the international community to provide aid to the displaced inside Syria to encourage return”.

President Aoun also supported coordinating regional efforts for this with Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.  

Then, the President stressed the desire to consolidate and develop bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields, especially the increase in the percentage of Turkey's import of Lebanese products, especially since the trade balance is currently tilting in Turkey's favor.

In addition, President Aoun thanked Minister Cavusoglu for the Turkish solidarity with Lebanon in the circumstances it is going through, appreciating Turkey’s participation in the naval component of UNIFIL’s naval forces, as well as the humanitarian and military assistance it provides, whether at the governmental level, or through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency and non-governmental organizations.   

Moreover, the President expressed hope that the Sidon Hospital for Burns and Fractures will soon be opened, after completing its equipment.  

Then, President Aoun conveyed greetings to his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and reiterated the request to Turkey to assist in the return of the Maronite Cypriots to their villages in the northern part of the island of Cyprus, after the delay that occurred to complete this step for logistical and other reasons related to the spread of the coronavirus.

For his side, Minister Cavusoglu conveyed to President Aoun a verbal message from President Erdogan in which he stressed the depth of relations between Lebanon and Turkey and his desire to develop and strengthen them at various levels, congratulating the approaching Independence Day.  

Cavusoglu also pointed out that the expected official visit of Prime Minister Najib Mikati to Turkey will be an occasion to discuss joint agreements that increase the trust between the two countries.  

In addition, Minister Cavusoglu expressed his hope that Lebanon would soon overcome the crisis that arose with a number of Gulf states, and expressed Turkey’s readiness to provide any assistance in this field.