President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is visiting Turkey, with an official ceremony. President Erdoğan spoke at a joint press conference held after his one-on-one meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Presidential Complex.
Expressing great pleasure in hosting Lebanese President Aoun in Turkey, Erdoğan thanked Aoun for the visit, which is the first at the presidential level from Lebanon to Turkey in 17 years.
Noting that Aoun is also a highly experienced soldier, Erdoğan said he viewed Aoun's election as president at the beginning of the year as very important for ensuring security in Lebanon. President Erdoğan wished Aoun success. Key remarks from President Erdoğan:
Recalling that he hosted Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Istanbul on July 10 and that they assessed bilateral relations during that meeting, Erdoğan said, "Today, with Mr. Aoun, we discussed regional developments, particularly in light of the ongoing Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon.
We continue our strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our friendly and brotherly Lebanon."
Pointing out that Lebanon is a brotherly country that has suffered the greatest harm for many years as an arena of competition and conflict among certain powers in the region, Erdoğan explained that Lebanon is among the countries that will benefit most from the environment of stability, peace, and cooperation they have aimed for in the Middle East from the very beginning.
Drawing attention to the fact that they have been closely following Aoun's recent diplomatic initiatives, Erdoğan continued: "As Turkey, we evaluated what kind of contributions we could make to these initiatives. We discussed opportunities to further develop our bilateral relations in various fields. At this point, we will continue our support to enhance Lebanon's institutional capacity.
We will continue our humanitarian and technical assistance to Lebanon. Moreover, we believe that the growing dialogue between Lebanon and Syria is beneficial for both countries. We are ready to provide the necessary contribution to strengthen the relations of two countries with a difficult past. The completion of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stationed in southern Lebanon will constitute an important development.
After the withdrawal of the current international force, we want to take part as Turkey in all initiatives to be launched to support security in the region and ensure Lebanon's sovereignty. Of course, in the security context, our support for the Lebanese Armed Forces will also continue.
Underscoring that more than 4,300 Lebanese have lost their lives, more than 2,000 Lebanese have been injured, and 1 million people have been forced to leave their homes and homeland since March 2, 2026, when Israel's attacks on Lebanon began, Erdoğan stated: "Here, once again, I offer my condolences to the Lebanese people in the person of the President, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured. Turkey has been one of the countries that has shown the strongest reaction to the attacks from day one. We have kept Israel's crimes against humanity on the agenda throughout this process. We are closely following the diplomatic initiatives launched to end this attack and occupation.
I would like to express that our country is ready to provide all possible support in the context of the reconstruction of Southern Lebanon, which has been heavily affected by the Israeli attacks."
Taking the floor after President Erdoğan, Lebanese President Aoun stated that there are deep-rooted relations between Turkey and Lebanon.
Aoun said, "At the same time, there is a will for cooperation to further strengthen it for the benefit of the peoples of both countries and the stability of the region." Aoun thanked President Erdoğan for the warm welcome, hospitality, and invitation. Emphasizing that this visit is taking place at a truly critical time, Aoun said the region has now become a place where its future is being shaped.
Underlining that the Turkey-Lebanon brotherhood is very important and plays a major role in building this future in the coming period, Aoun said, "Mr. Erdoğan, with his vision and sincere will, truly supports these relations and is determined to carry them to a new level of cooperation."
