Lebanese president visits Türkiye for first time in 17 yrs

ANKARA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan here on Thursday, marking the first official visit by a Lebanese head of state to Türkiye in 17 years.

At a joint press conference, Aoun called on Ankara to help secure a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and restore regional stability, Türkiye Today reported.

He also noted ongoing consultations on replacing the UN Interim Force in Lebanon with a new international force in the south, stressing that Lebanon's priority is to avoid a security vacuum and ensure the new force supports the Lebanese Armed Forces, the report said.

Erdogan said Türkiye seeks to play an active role in preserving Lebanon's sovereignty and stands ready to support the reconstruction of southern Lebanon, the report added.

The meeting followed a framework agreement reached recently between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending border hostilities, under which Israeli forces would steadily withdraw from two "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon and Lebanese troops would be deployed there.■