Lebanonupdated 29m ago3 min read
MapBilal Erdogan Visits Tripoli, Lebanon, as Turkey Steps Up Outreach
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Bilal Erdogan arrived in Lebanon for a visit focusing on political meetings and economic outreach. Beirut call to open a new phase of Libanese-Turkish cooperation based on investments and trade.
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Tripoli landmarks and meetings
Bilal Ardwghan, described as the son of the Turkish president and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the 'Nashr al-Ilm' Foundation, visited Tripoli in northern Lebanon on Friday as part of a tour that mixed historical landmarks with religious and cultural meetings. The visit included a stop at the home of Salma al-Sabai, the granddaughter of the Ottoman sultan Abd al-Hamid II, before Bilal Ardwghan went to the Hamidiya Clock Tower in Tripoli city center that bears the Ottoman sultan's name. Bilal Ardwghan toured the Mansouri Grand Mosque and visited the Chamber of the Prophetic Hair, which preserves a hair attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, donated by Sultan Abd al-Hamid II to the city.
Bilal Ardwghan met religious figures including the Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Muhammad Imam, the Secretary of Tripoli Fatwa Sheikh Bilal Baroudi, and the head of the Alawite Islamic Council Sheikh Ali Qaddour, and he also met Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli Archbishop Yusuf Swayf and Orthodox Metropolitan Ephraim Kyrakos. Bilal Ardwghan began his Lebanon visit on Thursday, when he was received by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, especially in the educational and cultural fields.
Economic phase and 200 billion
Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called in Beirut for a new phase of Libanese-Turkish cooperation and said Lebanon could raise the volume of its economy to 200 billion dollars. Bilal Erdogan made his remarks from Beirut during a gathering titled “Strategic Leadership Dialogue Between Lebanon and Turkey,” held at the Le Gray hotel in Beirut under the sponsorship of the Minister of Economy and Trade Amer Bsat. Bilal Erdogan emphasized that stability and progress in the region require overcoming divisions and strengthening regional cooperation, and he said he hoped to encourage Turks to visit Lebanon and learn about its investment opportunities.
Bilal Erdogan also said Syria is capable of regaining its economic vitality and reaching 200 billion dollars, and then 400 billion dollars, insisting that Turkey’s prosperity is linked to the stability of its neighbors. Bilal Erdogan answered a question about what Lebanon means to him with the brief line “Fairuz.”
Outreach itinerary and context
Bilal Erdogan arrived in Lebanon on Thursday for a three-day visit that, according to Middle East Online, highlighted Ankara's efforts to expand its influence through high-level political meetings, economic contacts, and outreach to communities with historical ties to Turkey. Middle East Online said Bilal Erdogan, who holds no government or diplomatic post, was expected to meet President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, along with Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Derian and Bahia Hariri, vice-president of the Future Movement. The itinerary described by Middle East Online placed particular emphasis on Tripoli and the northern Akkar region, with Bilal Erdogan due to pray at the Mansouri Great Mosque on Friday and address around 450 local figures.
Middle East Online also said the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) spent $33 million in Lebanon between 2010 and 2020, including around $20 million on the Turkish hospital in Sidon, citing a 2021 paper by Jana Jabbour at the American University of Beirut's Issam Fares Institute. Middle East Online linked the visit to regional developments in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and it said Erdogan underlined in June that his country's security began in Aleppo, Damascus and Beirut, according to the institute.