Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam paid an official visit to Ankara, Türkiye on July 10, where he held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials.
The visit sought to strengthen security coordination and expand cooperation on infrastructure and investment. The Lebanese Prime Minister led a large delegation of officials responsible for energy, public works, environment, and security coordination. The visit was a prelude to an expected visit to Ankara by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun later this month on his way back from an anticipated trip to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump.
Talks focused on reviving the bilateral free-trade agreement between the two countries, strengthening security coordination and border control, and expanding cooperation in infrastructure and energy investment.
According to an article in the Egyptian government-backed daily Al Ahram, the visit can be seen as part of Erdogan’s efforts to stabilize the region, establish a positive Turkish role in Lebanon that “will reinforce its strategic presence in the Middle East, build new bridges of development linking countries in this region with Europe…”
