Charbel Meets Turkish Delegation: Officials Exerting Exceptional Efforts to Release Pilots

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel held talks on Wednesday with Turkish deputy Army Intelligence chief Abdul Rahman Baljak and the accompanying delegation on the abduction of two Turkish pilots in Lebanon and the case of Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria's Aazaz region, reported the National News Agency.

The minister said after the talks: “High-ranking Lebanese officials are exerting exceptional efforts in order to release the pilots as soon as possible.”

“The Lebanese state condemns abductions because they tarnish the country's image, especially before a friendly nation like Turkey,” he added.

“The case of the two pilots is being addressed seriously on the security, judicial, and political levels in order to release them and return them to their homeland,” he stressed.

Moreover, Charbel remarked that the ministerial committee tasked with tackling the case of the Lebanese pilgrims is counting on Turkey's assistance to release them, especially since it has been over a year since they were kidnapped.

“Their case is a national and humanitarian one and it should not be linked to the abduction of the pilots,” he urged.

For its part, the Turkish delegation expressed its country's readiness to continue its cooperation to resolve the case of the Lebanese pilgrims and consequently that of the pilots.

An agreement was reached between Charbel and the delegation to hold a second meeting in Turkey.

A Turkish pilot and co-pilot were kidnapped by gunmen in Beirut on Friday.

The attack prompted Turkey to issue a travel warning urging its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Lebanon and those already present in the country to leave.

The relatives of Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria's Aazaz region were quick to deny having any links to the abduction, but one of the relatives, Mohammed Saleh, was arrested on Sunday over links to the incident.

The relatives in return threatened to block the airport road should he be kept in custody.

The families of the pilgrims have repeatedly accused Turkey of being responsible for the release of their loved ones, warning that they will target Turkish interests in Lebanon in order to pressure Ankara to resolve the case.

In May 2012, eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo region as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from pilgrimage from Iran.

Two of them have since been released, while the rest remain held in Aazaz.