The Turkish president affirms his country's rejection of any change in the status of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, while the Palestinian president expressed his thanks to the Turkish Republic and its institutions for their support for Palestine and for standing by the Palestinian people.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed, on Tuesday, his country's rejection of any change in the status of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
This came in a joint press conference with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas, after their meeting in the capital, Ankara.
President Erdogan said: "The steps we are taking in our relations with Israel will not diminish our support for the Palestinian cause in any way."
He added, "We never accept any actions aimed at changing the status of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and we have informed the Israeli side of our firm position."
In turn, the Palestinian President expressed his thanks to the Turkish Republic and its institutions for their support for Palestine and for standing by the Palestinian people.
Abbas said: "I greatly appreciate Turkey's firm stances on the side of the Palestinian people to achieve their rights to freedom and independence."
He added: "Thank you to the Turkish Republic and its institutions for their support to Palestine."
He added that the first credit for Palestine's recognition as an observer state in the United Nations goes back to the Turkish Republic.
He added, "We seek to obtain full membership in the United Nations, and we demand that the countries that believe in the two-state solution recognize the State of Palestine."
The Palestinian president reiterated his adherence to the peaceful popular resistance against the occupation and his rejection of "violence and terrorism throughout the world."
Abbas also referred to Israel's closure of seven Palestinian civil institutions, saying that their closure "ignites the situation."