Bilal Erdogan from Tripoli: We need Lebanon to be united internally
Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, paid an visit to the northern city of Tripoli on Friday, where he began his tour at the al-Tal Square and inspected the historic Sultan Abdul Hamid Clock Tower, which served as a symbolic gift to the city of Tripoli. He then toured the city's old souks and visited Salam al-Sibai, one of Sultan Abdul Hamid's granddaughters.
Erdogan later moved to the Grand Mansouri Mosque, where he was received by the Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Sheikh Mohammad Imam, the Mayor of Tripoli, Abdul Hamid Karimeh, and a crowd of the city's prominent figures, inspecting the Relic of the Noble Prophet section.
Following that, Erdogan participated in a broad meeting in the mosque's courtyard, at the invitation of Dar Al-Fatwa and with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, alongside parliamentary, spiritual, economic, and social figures from the city, in addition to the artist Maher Zain.
“I know very well that this love is not directed at me personally, but is an indicator of the great longing and affection for the President of the Republic of Turkey, and proof of your love and appreciation for his father. I would like to begin by thanking our Tripolitan brothers who have always invited us to Tripoli over these years. Unfortunately, the developments and problems witnessed in this region during the past ten years in Turkey made it difficult for us to make this visit throughout that period," Erdogan said.
He stated: "Now, after assessing the recent conditions in the region and the developments taking place in Syria, Turkey, and the West, I found that this is the appropriate time to visit the city of Tripoli. On this occasion, I convey the greetings of the President of our Republic to all our Tripolitan brothers who warmly long for our President and for Turkey. He sends his regards to you all."
"If we want to prepare a bright future for our children, sons, and grandchildren, and build brighter fates and days for them, we must re-establish the bonds of brotherhood among us very strongly. We need Lebanon to be united internally, for Turkey to be a sister to Lebanon, for Syria to be a sister to Lebanon, and for Turkey and Syria to be sisters -- meaning that all Islamic and neighboring brotherly countries must care first for their close brothers before anyone else,” Erdogan went on to say.
He added that Lebanon and Syria “must stand closely together” and “the bonds of brotherhood between them must be very strong, as well as between Turkey and Syria.”
“In general, the bonds of brotherhood among all Muslims must be extremely cohesive for the sake of the region's renaissance," Erdogan said.