Turkish envoy in Beirut meets with Lebanese grand mufti

By Wasim Saif al-Din

BEIRUT

Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Hakan Cakil on Thursday called for strengthening ties between Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) and Lebanon's Dar al-Fatwa, the country’s highest Sunni religious authority.

Following a meeting with Lebanese Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian in Beirut, Cakil told reporters: “We discussed means of enhancing coordination between Turkey’s Diyanet and Lebanon’s Dar al-Fatwa.”

Cakil also stressed the need to “broaden Lebanese-Turkish relations, especially in the religious field”.

Headed by the grand mufti, Lebanon’s Dar al-Fatwa is responsible for issuing legal rulings specific to the country’s sizeable Sunni-Muslim community.