Our relations with Lebanon gained momentum in the period following the visit of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to Türkiye in 2004. After this date mutual visits were held at Prime Ministerial and Ministerial level and important steps were taken to institutionally structuralize our relations.

Türkiye attaches great importance to the preservation of Lebanon's territorial integrity, sovereignty, security and stability, and continues this support in bilateral and multilateral platforms.As a reflection of this policy, Türkiye has demonstrated its support for Lebanon at every opportunity.

In this context, assistance provided to the emergency repair and reconstruction of Lebanon after the war with Israel in 2006, the constructive role it played in the resolution of the political crisis that ended with the Doha Agreement in 2008, support which is still continuing today to the UN Interim Force UNIFIL, financial assistance provided to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (which was established with the decision of the UN Security Council to shed light on the assassination of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005) and the solidarity displayed with Lebanon and its people following the explosion in the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, are just some concrete examples of our country's support for Lebanon.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Yunus Emre Institute's (YEE) capabilities and opportunities operating in Lebanon have increased significantly in recent years.TIKA has completed approximately 126 projects in Lebanon with a total budget of more than 33 million USD since 2006 and presented them to the benefit of the Lebanese people.In 2014, the TIKA Coordination Office was opened in Beirut.YEE, on the other hand, makes significant contributions to the development of our bilateral relations through Turkish language education, cultural and artistic activities which allows Turkish culture to be better understood in Lebanon.

Our embassy and non-governmental organizations have increased their activities towards Syrian and Palestinian refugees in recent years.In addition to humanitarian considerations, support provided to refugees aims to contribute to the stability, security and internal peace of Lebanon.

The reciprocal annulment of the visa regime in 2010 significantly contributed to increasing the social, cultural, economic and touristic interaction between the two countries and further strengthened our historical, cultural and human ties with Lebanon.

High-level contacts between the two countries increase the areas of common interest and cooperation opportunities.The visit of our Vice President and Minister, on 8 August 2020, right after the explosion in Beirut Port, which is the last of these contacts, is a concrete expression of our country's solidarity with Lebanon.

Lebanon, which hosts approximately half a million Palestinian refugees, is one of the countries that expresses its reaction in the international arena in the strongest way among Arab countries in defense of the Palestinian cause.In this context, Lebanon participated in the OIC Extraordinary Summit on Jerusalem, hosted by our country on 13 December 2017, at the level of President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, upon USA’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. Michel Aoun held a meeting with our President on the margins of the summit.Lebanon continues to stand up for the Palestinian cause, opposing the “Deal of the Century” and, most recently, in May 2021, by showing solidarity in the face of Israeli attacks and human rights violations against Palestinians.

On the other hand, cooperation with Lebanon, which has been hosting approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees for years, is important for the voluntary and safe return of Syrians to their country.Jordan and Iraq, as well as Lebanon, participated in the Quadruple Initiative, which was initiated under the leadership of Türkiye in order to develop a common approach towards the voluntary return of Syrian refugees.