Mikati Meets Erdogan in Turkey

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday to discuss recent developments in Syria and southern Lebanon. Mikati was accompanied by a delegation, including a representative from the Lebanese Army and Lebanon’s ambassador to Turkey.

During the meeting, Mikati reportedly planned to address the issue of land demarcation between Lebanon and Syria following the potential removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Additionally, according to sources from al-Joumhouria newspaper, Mikati intended to discuss the future of Syrian-Lebanese relations and the fate of Lebanese individuals who have been missing in Syrian prisons.

The issue has gained attention since the release of a Lebanese man who had been missing for 40 years after being freed by Syrian rebels in Hama last week. This has sparked increased calls from Lebanese families for information about their relatives, who have been presumed detained in Syrian prisons since Lebanon’s civil war when Syrian forces were present in Lebanon.

Mikati also planned to talk with Turkish officials about the situation in southern Lebanon, especially after a ceasefire agreement was reached at the end of November.