Turkiye sends aid shipment to Lebanese army

BEIRUT

An aid shipment sent by the Turkish Armed Forces arrived at Beirut port on Thursday as a gift to the Lebanese military.

The shipment was received in a ceremony attended by Turkish Ambassador Ali Baris Ulusoy, Military Attaché Col. Huseyin Basaran, and Gen. Elias Youssef of the Lebanese army.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ulusoy said the aid was delivered by a Turkish military cargo carrying 80 tons of foodstuffs and mechanical spare parts for cars.

Turkiye "will continue to send aid to the Lebanese army and security forces in the coming days in line with the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan," the diplomat said.

The latest aid package comes a few days after the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) sent 524 tons of food aid to the Lebanese security forces.

The Turkish Armed Forces also provided more than 260 tons of food to the Lebanese Army and the families of its members in March last year and another 60 tons were sent by Turkiye’s National Defense Ministry in October.

In 2015, Ankara included Beirut in the Turkish Foreign Military Assistance Program.

Since late 2019, Lebanon has been grappling with a severe economic crisis, including a massive currency depreciation as well as fuel and medical shortages.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara