The final destination of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Middle East tour will be Turkey, where he will have talks with Turkish officials on bilateral relations and matters concerning the region. Hariri’s last visit to Turkey was in mid-January, subsequent to his first visit to Syria in December of last year.Hariri also paid a visit to Syria this trip to Turkey.. It was Hariri’s second visit to Syria since Lebanon’s relations with Damascus witnessed a remarkable thaw after a nearly five-year rupture triggered by the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
During his trip, Hariri is expected to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to discuss ways to improve bilateral relations.
Turkey and Lebanon reciprocally lifted visa requirements for their nationals to boost trade, tourism and economic cooperation during Hariri’s visit on Jan. 11. The two countries signed five other deals on cooperation in the areas of health, agriculture, military ties, transportation and education on the same day.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Arab Economic Forum (AEF) in Beirut on Thursday, Hariri said they have built important relations with Turkey. Speaking about the global recession and Lebanon’s moves for economic recovery, Hariri reiterated that Lebanon will further improve its relations with Turkey. Hariri also met with Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek in Beirut yesterday to discuss the establishment of a free trade agreement with Turkey.
