Turkey and Lebanon meet by surprise in Istanbul

Istanbul has received a surprise visit from Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, according to the Turkish President's communications department. The meeting between the two leaders took place at the Vahiddin Palace. Both discussed issues of importance to the region, such as the relationship between Ankara and Paris, and the recent Al-Ula declaration restoring relations between several of the Gulf countries and Qatar.

The close relationship between Lebanon and France, as evidenced by Macron's presence following the explosion in the port of Beirut, may be a point of support for Ankara in normalising relations with France and, in particular, with the French president. In the middle of this week, the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, announced the agreement with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, to try to bring positions closer together and to tone down the accusations.

Turkey also has the firm decision to support Lebanon in the reconstruction of its port area, something that France has also shown its willingness to do, so that Hariri can act as an intermediary in the rapprochement between Paris and Ankara. As with France, Erdogan intends to iron out differences with the European Union, which is being driven by the economic crisis the country is experiencing and which the sanctions imposed by Brussels and the United States may exacerbate.

The other issue the leaders discussed in depth was the recent reconciliation between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt and Qatar, which they have been blockading by land, sea and air since 2017. Like Lebanon and France, Turkey is one of Qatar's main allies, and Ankara's interest in the Gulf region is therefore important and a way for Lebanon to gain access to it.

Erdogan welcomed the agreement reached at the last Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Saudi Arabia, which re-established relations with Doha and calmed an atmosphere that had deteriorated greatly over the past three years. Erdogan also added that this agreement would be the perfect excuse to strengthen his relationship with the Gulf countries, and that their economy could thus gain some oxygen.

Qatar, in fact, came to the rescue of Turkey in December when it took over 10% of the Istanbul Stock Exchange, in addition to the acquisition of shares in other types of infrastructures and companies, thus providing some liquidity to the weakened Turkish coffers. A patch that both the opposition and the economists have strongly criticised.

Finally, Turkey has also stressed the importance of political stability in Lebanon, as the past few years have witnessed many changes of government, in some of which Hariri has played a leading role. The explosion in the port of Beirut merely accelerated and worsened the country's instability, which is a cause for concern in Ankara and has repercussions on the also battered Lebanese economy.