Minister Charbel, Turkish delegation agree on holding another meeting in Turkey

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel reiterated Wednesday the Lebanese state's condemnation towards the kidnapping incidents taking place on the Lebanese grounds "since they reflect a negative image of the country and its people".                         

During a meeting at his office with members of a Turkish delegation headed by the Turkish Deputy Army Intelligence chief Abdel Rahman Baljak set to discuss the file of the two kidnapped Turkish pilots and the Lebanese hostages in Syria's Aazaz, Minister Charbel said that the case of the pilots is being followed up, and efforts are being exerted by Lebanese officials for their release.                     

Charbel added that the ministerial committee tasked with following up on the file of the Lebanese hostages in Aazaz is relying on the efforts of the Turkish state since the Lebanese nationals have been kidnapped for over a year.                

He also mentioned that the file of the Lebanese detainees in Aazaz should not be linked to the kidnapping incident of the Turkish Airlines' crew members.    
                   
For its part, the Turkish delegation expressed its readiness to cooperate with Lebanese authorities in order to reach an end in regards to the kidnapping of the Lebanese pilgrims in Syria and the detention of Turkish nationals in Lebanon.                                     

The delegation also agreed with Minister Charbel on holding another meeting in Turkey to discuss the aforementioned files.                           

As for the families of the Lebanese hostages in Aazaz, they said that they are awaiting the end of the said meeting to declare their future steps.   

While well-informed sources linked the abduction to the case of the Lebanese hostages held in Aazaz, the relatives of the Aazaz hostages denied being involved in the operation.               

On Friday the 9th of August, gunmen intercepted a Turkish Airlines' bus at the Cocodi Bridge in Beirut and kidnapped two crew members, a pilot and a co-pilot. The bus carrying the crew members was heading from the Beirut International Airport towards a hotel in Ain El-Mrayseh.      

The incident triggered a chain of reactions mainly from the Turkish side, the most prominent being the call launched by the Turkish foreign ministry on its nationals to leave Lebanon.                   

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped on their way back from Iran by insurgents hoping to use them for a prisoner swap on the 22nd of May. Only two have so far been released.        

Their families have vowed to continue their movements until all their loved ones have returned home "safe and sound".              

They accuse Ankara of sponsoring the kidnapping and the Lebanese government of inaptness in this regard.