The families of the Lebanese pilgrims that were kidnapped in the Syrian town of Aazaz protested Friday in front of the Turkish Aviation Office and the Turkish Cultural Center, closing the two institutions amid strict security measures.

The families of the Lebanese pilgrims that were kidnapped in the Syrian town of Aazaz protested Friday in front of the Turkish Aviation Office and the Turkish Cultural Center, closing the two institutions amid strict security measures.

"The destiny of the Turkish pilots and the Lebanese abductees is vague. When we learned about the battles in Aazaz, we just resorted to the divine will to protect the abductees, refraining from demanding the Turkish government to do anything, yet we have decided to deactivate all the Turkish institutions in Lebanon," said Hayat Awaly.

"The move is not surprising because the hostages are under the control of the Turkish government which we filed a suit against in the European Court of Human rights," said Sheikh Abbas Zgheib who is charged by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council to follow up the abductees case.

"I am sure that the nine hostages are okay," he added.

The Lebanese caretaker interior minister said that the Turkish authorities are serious about helping to release the abducted Lebanese pilgrims in Syria and the Lebanese state is also serious about releasing the kidnapped Turkish pilots.
 
“The Turkish authorities are serious about this case and about releasing the abductees, and the Lebanese state is serious about releasing the kidnapped pilots,” Marwan Charbel said in a press conference held on Friday by the ministerial committee tasked with the issue of the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria’s Azaz.

Meanwhile, caretaker Labor Minister Salim Jreissati, a member of the ministerial committee, said during the same press conference that “the Lebanese abductees are healthy and are in a safe location outside Azaz.”

“Negotiations are at an advanced stage,” Jreissati added.