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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye stands ready to provide "all possible support" for the reconstruction of southern Lebanon devastated by Israeli attacks.
He declared Ankara's intention to take part in every initiative to secure the region and Lebanon's sovereignty after the withdrawal of the U.N. peacekeeping force, hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for the first Lebanese head-of-state visit to Türkiye in 17 years.
Aoun, invoking Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's maxim "Peace at Home, Peace in the World," called his trip "the beginning of a new era" in Türkiye-Lebanon relations and vowed to recover "every inch" of Lebanese territory under "one state, one army and one authority."
Speaking at a joint press conference after one-on-one talks at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, President Erdogan said the completion of the mandate of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in the country's south, "will constitute an important development."
"After the withdrawal of the current international force, we as Türkiye want to take part in all initiatives to be launched to support security in the region and ensure Lebanon's sovereignty," he said, adding that Türkiye's support for the Lebanese Armed Forces will also continue.
"We will continue our support for strengthening Lebanon's institutional capacity. We will continue our humanitarian and technical assistance to Lebanon," the Turkish president said, voicing strong backing for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of "friendly and brotherly Lebanon."
The Turkish president said Lebanon has long suffered as an arena of rivalry and conflict among regional powers, making it among the countries that would benefit most from the stability, peace and cooperation Türkiye has pursued in the Middle East from the outset.
He also welcomed the developing dialogue between Lebanon and Syria as beneficial for both countries, saying Türkiye is "ready to make the necessary contribution" to strengthening ties between two nations with "a difficult past."
The talks follow President Erdogan's July 10 meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Istanbul.
President Erdogan said more than 4,300 Lebanese have been killed, over 2,000 wounded and 1 million people forced from their homes since Israel's attacks on Lebanon began on March 2, 2026.
"Türkiye has been one of the countries showing the strongest reaction to the attacks from the first day. We have kept the crimes against humanity committed by Israel on the agenda throughout this process," he said, offering condolences to the Lebanese people through Aoun.
"We are closely following the diplomatic initiatives launched to end this attack and occupation. I want to express that our country is ready to provide all possible support in the context of the reconstruction of southern Lebanon, which has been intensely affected by the Israeli attacks," he said.
The Turkish president noted Aoun's background as a highly experienced soldier, saying his election as president at the start of the year was very important for securing Lebanon's stability.
Aoun said Lebanon has suffered for many years and is now enduring great losses from Israel's attacks, with families torn from their homes and the country left devastated, yet "the will of the Lebanese people has not bowed."
"We are fighting to truly achieve this: the complete withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territory, the return of the displaced to their homes, reconstruction and the revival of the economy," Aoun said.
"We are working for the legitimate forces to reestablish authority, for the recovery of all our territory, every inch of it, under the roof of a single state, with one army and one authority," he noted.
Lebanon will do so without compromising its national dignity, he said, stressing they will allow no one to interfere in their sovereignty.
Recalling Ataturk's "Peace at Home, Peace in the World," Aoun said the phrase has only gained importance: "Peace at home can only be established with a strong state, with strong institutions, a strong economy, and with justice and independence. Peace in our surroundings and the world can now only be built by respecting the sovereignty of countries, respecting peoples' right to determine their own futures, and by owning and using their own natural resources."
Noting he is only the third Lebanese president to visit Türkiye in 70 years, Aoun said the trip comes at a moment when "the region has become a place where the future is being drawn," and that Lebanon's stability matters for the stability of the entire region.
"This visit will be the beginning of a new era for Lebanon-Türkiye relations," he said, citing partnership, mutual trust and joint work, and thanking Türkiye's government, leadership and people for standing by Lebanon in its hardest times, including after the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
"The role of Türkiye within the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon is very, very important. We will never forget this support, and we receive it with appreciation," Aoun said, closing: "May the Lebanon-Türkiye friendship live on."
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