LEBANON: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Lebanon to strengthen ties

Record ID: 217448

  • Title: LEBANON: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Lebanon to strengthen ties
  • Date: 25th November 2010
  • Summary: GUARD OF HONOUR VARIOUS OF ERDOGAN AND HARIRI OBSERVING HONOUR GUARDS
  • Embargoed: 10th December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA5PJQ681GRSLWW6T0468ZIWPXB
  • Story Text: Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Beirut on Wednesday (November 25) for a two-day official visit to help strengthen ties and calm tensions among political adverseries in Lebanon.
    Highways in Beirut carried billboards of Erdogan with ''welcome'' in Turkish printed on them, a sign of Turkey's increased popularity in Lebanon.
    Erdogan held talks with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman after meeting Prime Minister Saad Hariri during the official welcome ceremony at the airport.
    Turkey has forged stronger ties with Arab countries in recent years, among them Syria and Lebanon and Erdogan himself has won popularity among Arabs for his stance towards Israel and the Middle East conflict.
    On his arrival, a group of Lebanese gathered near the airport to welcome Erdogan's visit. And a few metres away, another group of Lebanese Armenians gathered to oppose the visit.
    ''We are here to send a message to the government that we are still here and we still have hatred for Turkey,'' said one Lebanese Armenian protester.
    The protesters briefly altercated with the police before the security forces dissolved the protest.
    Many Armenians express emnity towards Turkey since the World War One mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks. There have been recent moves between the two countries' governments to normalise relations.
    Erdogan will be visiting two villages in northern Lebanon where a small Turkmen community still exists and where he is expect to launch Turkish-funded development projects.
    Erdogan is set to sign bilateral agreements later in the day and hold a joint news conference with Hariri.
    Turkey will also use its influence during Erdogan's visit to help calm tensions between Lebanese leaders over the upcoming indictments of the international court investigating the murder of Rafik al-Hariri, Saad's father and ex-prime minister, Lebanese media said.
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