Turkey, Lebanon lift visa requirements, ink cooperation deals

Turkey and Lebanon signed agreements Monday lifting visa requirements for travel between the two countries, a change that was made during the Lebanese prime minister’s visit to Ankara.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül on Monday before heading for Istanbul to attend an economic gathering.

Hariri traveled to Turkey to oversee the signing of a series of cooperation agreements. The six accords signed deal with issues of defense, health, agriculture, transportation, education and the lifting of the visa requirement.

At a joint press conference, Erdoğan said Lebanon had started to take steps toward a peaceful future following the establishment of the new government. Turkey and Lebanon scrapped their visa requirements in hopes of boosting tourism and facilitating trade.

In September, Turkey signed a series of agreements with Syria, lifting the visa requirements for travel; it did the same with Libya in November.

Israel’s ‘disproportionate power’

At the press conference, Erdoğan also lashed out at Israel, accusing it of threatening peace in the region and using disproportionate force against Palestinians.

He urged Israel to stop violating Lebanon’s airspace and territorial waters and called on the U.N. Security Council to mount the same pressure on Israel as it does on Iran over nuclear armament.

“As Turkey, we can never remain silent in the face of Israel’s attitude … It has disproportionate power and it is using that at will while refusing to abide by U.N. resolutions,” Erdoğan said. “We can never accept this picture.”

For his part, Hariri leveled criticism at Israel and described the Jewish state as an enemy that threatens Lebanon’s security.

PM says he won’t go to Davos

Speaking at the press conference with Hariri, Erdoğan also announced he would not be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this year.

“I’ll say it just once: I am not going to go there again,” the prime minister said.

His announcement comes nearly a year after Erdoğan stormed out of a debate on the Gaza conflict at the 2009 Davos summit. He accused Israel of “barbarian” acts and told Israeli President Shimon Peres, “You know well how to kill people.”

His reaction caused tension between the two countries that has had long-lasting implications on their diplomatic affairs. Before the outburst, Turkey had been a key Israel ally in the region since the two signed a military cooperation deal in 1996.

This year’s summit in Davos will mark the 40th World Economic Forum.

Source: Hurriyet.
Link: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-lebanob-lift-visa-and-ink-cooperation-deals-2010-01-11.