Aoun from Ankara: No Surrender to an Arrogant Force... and Sovereignty for the State Alone

President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun emphasized that Lebanon and its people paid a heavy price as a result of the Israeli war, but what the war could not destroy is the will of the Lebanese, "so today we are more determined than ever to restore the sovereignty of our state, rebuild our homeland, and build a safe and stable future for all Lebanese."

He said: "We are determined to achieve the Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, the return of our displaced people to their villages, as well as their concomitant return to their state and homeland, reconstruction, economic recovery, restoring confidence in the state, and securing exclusive sovereignty for our legitimate forces in order to protect every inch of our land and all our people, without any concession to our national dignity — no surrender to an arrogant force, no provocation towards a neighbor or friend or brother, no unilateral interference in our internal or sovereign affairs."

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed his country's strong and firm support for the sovereignty of Lebanon, its people, and its territorial integrity, considering that this country "will be at the forefront of states that will benefit to the maximum extent from the atmosphere of stability, peace, and cooperation that we have sought to achieve in the Middle East from the beginning."

He also announced Turkey's desire to participate and be present in all initiatives that will be launched to support security in the region and guarantee Lebanon's sovereignty after the withdrawal of UNIFIL, while continuing to support and assist the Lebanese Armed Forces in the security context.

The positions of Presidents Aoun and Erdogan came after a meeting they held at the Turkish presidential palace this afternoon.

Arrival Details

President Aoun arrived at the Turkish presidential palace at five o'clock, where an official reception ceremony was held for him. His car was preceded by a group of mounted guards until the palace entrance, where President Erdogan was waiting for him, shaking his hand before they both headed to the official platform. After playing the Lebanese and Turkish national anthems and a 21-gun salute, the two presidents reviewed the honor guard, and President Aoun greeted the soldiers saying: "Hello soldiers," to which they replied: "Welcome, Mr. President."

Then President Aoun shook hands with the official Turkish delegation, which included: Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Director of General Intelligence Burhanettin Duran, President Erdogan's Security Advisor Akif Kiliç, Ankara Governor Yakup Canbolat, and Ankara Military Region Commander Ayhan Kalender, while President Erdogan shook hands with the accompanying Lebanese delegation.

Afterwards, the two presidents entered the office of President Erdogan at the presidential palace, where they held a meeting attended by Minister Fidan and the Lebanese Ambassador to Turkey, Mounir Aounati, during which they discussed issues on the regional scene and their repercussions on Lebanon, Turkey, and the region in general, as well as the role Turkey can play to support Lebanon in the goals it has set and to contribute to reducing tension and escalation in the region by virtue of its relations with various parties. The discussion also touched on cooperation between the two countries in the economic, developmental, and energy fields, and the possibility of benefiting from Turkish expertise in this field.

The Turkish President

After the meeting ended, the two presidents spoke to journalists. The Turkish president welcomed his Lebanese guest, stressing the importance of the visit and said:

"I discussed with President Aoun regional developments, especially in light of the continued Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon, and we continue our strong and firm support for the sovereignty of Lebanon and its brotherly people, with whom we have strong ties and bonds, and for its territorial unity. As you know, Lebanon is a brotherly country that has long been the most affected and harmed by being an arena of competition and conflict between some forces in the region. Accordingly, Lebanon is at the forefront of countries that will benefit to the maximum extent from the atmosphere of stability, peace, and cooperation that we have sought to achieve in the Middle East from the beginning.

We are also closely following the recent diplomatic initiatives and steps undertaken by President Aoun, and we have assessed in Turkey the nature of the assistance and contributions we can provide to him in these initiatives, and we discussed opportunities and prospects for developing bilateral relations in various fields. On this point, we will continue our support to raise and enhance the institutional capacities of Lebanon, and we will continue to provide humanitarian and technical assistance. In addition, we believe that the continuation and development of dialogue between Lebanon and Syria will be beneficial and fruitful for both countries. We are fully prepared to provide the necessary assistance to strengthen relations between the two countries that have gone through a difficult phase.

The end of the mandate and tasks of the United Nations Interim Force in Southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) will constitute an important development, and we wish to participate and be present in all initiatives that will be launched to support security in the region and guarantee Lebanon's sovereignty after the withdrawal of the current international forces. Naturally, our support and assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces in the security context will continue uninterrupted.

Dear ladies and gentlemen of the media, since the start of the Israeli attacks and aggressions on Lebanon on March 2, 2026, more than 4,400 of our Lebanese brothers have sacrificed their lives, and more than 2,000 others have been injured. One million people have also been forced to leave their homes and displacement. On this occasion, I would like to extend once again my sincere condolences and sympathy to the brotherly Lebanese people in the person of His Excellency the President, wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded and injured. From the very first day, Turkey was at the forefront of countries that showed the strongest and most severe reactions to these attacks and aggressions, and we have constantly highlighted the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel during this period. We welcome the diplomatic steps and initiatives launched to end this aggression and occupation, and we follow them closely.

I would also like to confirm that our country is fully prepared and ready to provide all possible support and assistance within the framework of rebuilding and rehabilitating southern Lebanon, which has been severely affected by the Israeli attacks. With these sentiments and thoughts, I renew my thanks to His Excellency President Aoun for his gracious visit."

President Aoun

President Aoun also delivered the following speech:

"Mr. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ladies and gentlemen present,

I am pleased to visit the Republic of Turkey, at a station that reflects the long-standing relations between our two countries and the shared will to enhance cooperation in a way that serves the interests of our two peoples and contributes to the stability of our region.

After thanking you for your gracious invitation and great appreciation for the warmth of the reception, what now fills me most is a sense of responsibility towards this moment – the responsibility that I come from a country that suffers, even as it strives, endures, hopes, and dreams.

I say this while carrying with me the pain of a people who paid a heavy price as a result of the Israeli war: thousands of victims, villages destroyed, families uprooted from their homes, and an economy exhausted by war. But what the war could not destroy is the will of the Lebanese. Today we are more determined than ever to restore the sovereignty of our state, rebuild our homeland, and build a safe and stable future for all Lebanese.

And this is what we are determined to actually achieve:

- An Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.

- The return of our displaced people to their villages, as well as their concomitant return to their state and homeland.

- Reconstruction, economic recovery, and restoring confidence in the state.

- Securing exclusive sovereignty for our legitimate forces alone and no one else, in order to protect every inch of our land and all our people within the framework of one state, one army, and one sovereign decision.

We proceed in achieving this without any concession to our national dignity: no surrender to an arrogant force, no provocation towards a neighbor or friend or brother, no unilateral interference in our internal or sovereign affairs. This has been the nature of relations between Turkey and Lebanon since the establishment of their modern states.

Mr. President,

The founder of modern Turkey, the late President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, raised a foundational slogan that we find valid today: 'Peace at home, peace in the world.' After a full century, this slogan seems no less important, but more urgent than ever. Peace at home is only built on a strong state, effective institutions, economic prosperity, and freedom and justice for all citizens. As for peace in our surroundings and the world, it can only be achieved by respecting the sovereignty of states, the rights of peoples to self-determination and to manage their own affairs, benefiting from their resources, and enhancing cooperation among them on the basis of shared interests and mutual respect.

Perhaps this visit has come later than it should have. And the fact that I am the third Lebanese president to visit Turkey in seventy years is not a figure I mention merely out of pride for the occasion, but as a reminder that the relations between our two countries deserve to be more present and more ambitious. Today, this visit comes at a defining moment, as our region redraws the features of its future, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the Lebanese-Turkish partnership becomes part of making this future, not a spectator to it.

I have sensed in President Erdogan a clear vision and a sincere will to elevate the relations between our two countries to a new level of cooperation. I found a statesman who reads the region deeply and realizes that the stability of Lebanon is not solely a Lebanese matter, but part of the stability of the entire region. I am confident that this visit will be the beginning of a new phase in Lebanese-Turkish relations, whose title is partnership, trust, and joint action.

In conclusion, I would like to express my thanks to the Republic of Turkey, its government, leadership, and people, for standing by Lebanon in its most difficult moments: after the Beirut port explosion, during the recent war, and at every juncture where Lebanon needed a friend. I also thank the Republic of Turkey for its continued support for the Lebanese army, and for its active participation within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) – a commitment we appreciate and rely on for its continuation.

Mr. President,

I thank you once again for the generous reception and the sincerity of the dialogue, and I look forward to this visit being a starting point for a new phase of Lebanese-Turkish relations, befitting the history of our two countries and responding to the aspirations of our two peoples."

Dinner Banquet

President Erdogan hosted a dinner banquet in honor of President Aoun and the accompanying delegation, attended by Turkish ministers, senior official and security officials, and a number of members of the diplomatic corps.