Turkey warns Lebanon to stay neutral after Cyprus maritime agreement

On Thursday Lebanese President Joseph Aoun arrived in Ankara for a one‑day visit and met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The talks, attended only by presidential advisers, centered on the recent Lebanon‑Cyprus maritime border agreement that Ankara said caught it by surprise.

Turkey warned Lebanon to maintain a neutral stance in the regional rivalry that pits an axis of Greece, Cyprus and Israel against Turkish interests, saying further alignment would clash with Ankara’s strategic goals. Aoun reassured that Lebanon’s agreements with Cyprus and contacts with Israel are intended solely to safeguard Lebanese sovereignty and end Israeli military actions, not to oppose Turkey. Erdogan pledged Turkish assistance for Lebanon’s reconstruction after Israeli attacks and expressed readiness to support Lebanese armed forces and any international initiative after the UN peacekeeping force withdraws.