Naharnet

Stranded Lebanese Begin Arriving in Beirut as Bassil Calls Turkey FM in Solidarity

A number of Lebanese who had been stranded at Turkey's Ataturk airport arrived Sunday in Beirut aboard Turkish and Lebanese planes as Lebanon's Middle East Airlines said it will operate three flights on Sunday to bring Lebanese citizens from Turkey, media reports said.

“The second MEA plane took off to Istanbul's Ataturk airport at 9:30 am to bring a number of Lebanese citizens home and this was an additional flight that the company's administration organized to contribute to facilitating the return of the Lebanese who were stranded there,” Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

“The plane is scheduled to arrive in Beirut at 2:05 pm,” it said.

Two other MEA planes landed in Beirut at 1:05 pm and 2:00 pm, carrying 220 Lebanese citizens, NNA said.

The third plane is expected to arrive in Beirut at 10:15 pm.

Four Turkish Airlines planes had landed in Beirut overnight.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil had held a series of emergency contacts over the past hour to follow up on the situations of the Lebanese who were stranded in Turkey during the failed coup attempt that was staged by a group withing the Turkish army and involved the use of warplanes, attack helicopters and tanks.

According to the Turkish government, 161 civilians and regular troops lost their lives when the putschists sought to overthrow the authorities by seizing key strategic points in Istanbul and Ankara. Over 100 coup plotters were also killed, the military has said.

Bassil instructed Lebanon's embassy in Ankara and the Lebanese consulate general in Istanbul to “take all the necessary measures to help the Lebanese who are stranded in Turkey.”

Lebanon's consul general in Istanbul, Hani Shmaitelli, headed in person to Istanbul's airport as soon as the security situations allowed, where he met with the Lebanese citizens who were trapped at the facility, media reports said.

Bassil's talks involved phone contacts with MEA chairman Mohammed al-Hout and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

During his talks with his Turkish counterpart, Bassil condemned “the coup attempt that sought to overthrow the ruling authorities in Turkey and to reconstitute authorities through the use of force.”

The FM also expressed “Lebanon's solidarity with Turkey and its people and government and its constant keenness on the best ties of solidarity and cooperation with it, especially in light of the major challenged that they are both facing, topped by the challenge of takfiri terrorism and the refugee crisis.”


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