Turkey is providing humanitarian aid to Lebanon without discrimination following a massive explosion at the port of Beirut in early August, Ambassador to Beirut Hakan Cakil said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2020) Turkey is providing humanitarian aid to Lebanon without discrimination following a massive explosion at the port of Beirut in early August, Ambassador to Beirut Hakan Cakil said on Wednesday.
The explosion killed at least 200 people and, according to the authorities, was caused by 2,750 tonnes of improperly-stored ammonium nitrate, confiscated by the customs services in 2014. In the aftermath, Ankara has been active in the relief effort for the beleaguered country.
"When we look at Lebanon, we see Lebanese, not Christians or Muslims ... Since it's a humanitarian issue, we have no other motives or prejudices," Cakil told the Anadolu news agency, saying that Turkey has never refused to help the blast victims or exercised discrimination along ethnic lines.
According to the ambassador, Ankara offered Lebanon the use of its storage facilities in the Mersin port to substitute for the loss of Beirut's harbor for the time being, but the idea did not come to fruition due to the Lebanese government's resignation.
Lebanon's authorities resigned amid protests prompted by the perceived lack of good governance and public anger for the explosion.
