ANKARA: President Mahmoud Abbas met today with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the presidential palace in Ankara as part of an official visit to Turkey, during which they discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian arena.
During the meeting, President Abbas reviewed the latest developments in the Palestinian arena, the ongoing contacts with all parties to immediately stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and the introduction of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, especially to the north which is suffering from a real and unprecedented famine.
He reiterated his rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people, whether in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, including Jerusalem, warning of the grave danger posed by the attack on the southern city of Rafah by the occupation army.
President Abbas stressed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian State, and falls under its responsibility and administration, maintaining that the occupation’s p
lans to separate it or force any territorial reduction of the Strip cannot be accepted or dealt with.
The President stressed the need to stop the crimes and ethnic cleansing operations carried out by the occupation army and terrorist colonists against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the need for Israel to release the withheld Palestinian clearance funds.
The President stressed that achieving security and stability in the region comes through a political solution based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative and through granting the State of Palestine full membership in the United Nations by a decision of the International Security Council, as well as through the embodiment of the independence of the State of Palestine on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
President Abbas thanked his Turkish counterpart for his unwavering positions in support of the Palestinian people and efforts to advocate their just cause in t
he International Court of Justice and at all international forums.
He further thanked Erdogan for the humanitarian assistance provided by Turkey to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, stressing keenness to develop and strengthen the historical bilateral relations based on brotherhood and cooperation between the two countries and the two brotherly peoples.
For his part, the Turkish President reiterated his country’s firm support for the Palestinian people and their right to freedom, independence and the establishment of their independent state on their national territory.
An expanded meeting was also held between the Palestinian and Turkish delegations following the meeting of the two presidents. The Palestinian delegation included Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the president’s adviser for diplomatic affairs Majdi Khaldi, the president’s son Yasser Abbas and the Palestinian ambassador to Turkey Faed Mustafa.
Source: Pal
estine News and Information Agency – WAFA