Bilal Erdoğan from Lebanon: Turkey rejects Israeli "occupation activities" in the south

Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan, chairman of the board of trustees of the İlim Yayma Vakfı (Science Dissemination Foundation), announced during a visit to Lebanon that Turkey does not find acceptable "Israeli occupation activities" in southern Lebanon, and that it will continue to support "all international diplomatic efforts" to end them.

Speaking during his visit to the Mawlawi lodge in Tripoli, which was restored by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Erdoğan said that Lebanon must "remain closed to foreign interventions" and decide its own fate, stressing that Turkey will continue to provide all forms of support to strengthen Lebanon economically.

He added that Turkey had been "the voice of the Palestinians" in Gaza, that it stands against injustice and unfairness in various parts of the world, and that it is making efforts to establish peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Responding to a question about his message to the Lebanese, he said: "Turkey wants Lebanon's welfare, stability and peace."

In Beirut, Erdoğan met the president of the republic, the prime minister and the speaker of parliament, and conveyed to them the greetings of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He also met businessmen and people working in Turkish institutions, as well as religious figures, civil society leaders and other officials, and the meetings addressed Turkish-Lebanese relations and the importance of cooperation between the two countries for the future of the region.

He said that "these longings must not last too long; rather, we must increase relations and solidarity." The visit came after invitations from the city were postponed "for various reasons," according to his remarks.

Erdoğan and his accompanying delegation visited the Mawlawi lodge in Tripoli that was restored by TİKA, accompanied by Turkey's ambassador in Beirut, Murat Lütem, TİKA's coordinator in Beirut, Salih Burak Yurdakul, TİKA's deputy coordinator in Beirut, Serap Nair, the head of the Yunus Emre Institute, Prof. Dr. Selim Argun, and the head of the Turkish-Lebanese Business Council at the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), Mehmet Veysel Ural. A dervish performance was held and gifts were exchanged.

After Friday prayers at the Grand (Mansouri) Mosque in Tripoli, he met the city's mufti, Sheikh Mohammed Imam, the secretary of fatwa and sheikh of recitation Bilal Baroudi, and the head of the Alawite Islamic Council, Sheikh Ali Qaddour. He also met the Maronite archbishop of Tripoli, Youssef Soueif, and the Orthodox archbishop, Ephrem Kyriakos.

Tripoli's mufti, Sheikh Mohammed Imam, expressed his satisfaction at hosting Erdoğan and the accompanying delegation in the city, considering that the visit will contribute to strengthening fraternal relations between Turkey and Lebanon, and noting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's positive steps toward the region and Lebanon and the importance of developing relations between the two countries.

Erdoğan expressed his hope of reaching a stage in which Tripoli is linked to Turkey by road and railway, and in which planes will soon land at the city's airport that is scheduled to open, saying that Tripoli "can be seen like Sarajevo," and noting that tourism and business visits from Turkey to Tripoli may increase, and that there is a possibility of Turkish businessmen wishing to open up to the Arab world and the Middle East coming via Tripoli or Beirut.

Erdoğan thanked the Turkish teams and the citizens who represent Turkey in Lebanon, making special mention of "Muslim Bey," who "carries the trust of our Mawlana," and his family, wishing that the visit would contribute to regional peace, and noting that the Yunus Emre Institute continues its activity in Tripoli and Beirut.