ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affair Jean Obeid discussed on Sunday bilateral relations, Iraq, Middle East Peace Process and Greater Middle East Project in their tete-a-tete meeting.
After their meeting, two ministers held a joint press conference.
Gul said that Obeid's visit was important since it was the first visit paid in foreign ministerial level from Lebanon to Turkey and expressed his belief that this visit would start a new era in Turkish-Lebanese relations.
He and Obeid took up many bilateral and regional issues in their meeting, Gul noted.
Gul stated that two countries aimed to further improve bilateral relations.
He and Obeid decided to complete legal ground required for improvement of relations, Gul pointed out.
Gul said that Turkey and Lebanon should accelerate investments, work on tax exemption, make joint investments in tourism and transportation, and speed up their cooperation in revising many agreements among Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.
Two countries planned to conclude all those initiatives during visit of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri to Turkey in May, Gul added.
Before holding a joint press conference, two ministers signed the protocol on consultations between Turkish and Lebanese Ministries of Foreign Affairs and an agreement on cooperation among consulates.
Obeid had come to Turkey earlier on Sunday for an official visit. Jean Obeid's visit to Turkey is important since it is the first visit paid in the level of foreign ministers from Lebanon to Turkey after 21 years of interval.
(BRC-AY) 12.04.2004