Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: His country cannot accept "Israeli practices aimed at changing the historical status of the holy places in Palestine."
In a joint press conference with his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, after their meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, the Turkish President stressed that the only way to a just and lasting peace in the region passes through defending the vision of the two-state solution.
He added, "We cannot accept practices that aim to change the historical status of the holy places, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque."
The Turkish President stressed that "Palestinian unity and agreement is one of the main elements at this stage, and he reaffirmed to his Palestinian counterpart Turkey's readiness to provide all forms of support in this regard."
Erdogan said: "The establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Al-Quds as its capital on the 1967 borders and on the basis of United Nations standards is a necessary condition for peace and stability for our entire region, stressing that Turkey will continue to defend the Palestinian cause in the strongest way, and support all efforts to enhance the security and prosperity of the Palestinian people."
The Turkish President expressed his deep concern over the increasing loss of life in the Palestinian territories due to the repeated Israeli attacks.
"We are deeply concerned about the mounting loss of life, destruction, illegal settlement expansion and settler violence," he said.
For his part, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said: "Palestine and its people count a lot on the Turkish position, which has always stood by the Palestinian right."
Abbas added, "I am pleased to confirm the depth of the fraternal relations that bind our two brotherly countries and peoples, appreciating Turkey's steadfast positions in support of the rights of our Palestinian people and their relentless pursuit of their freedom and independence, and the defense of Al-Quds and the holy sites."
Regarding the security developments with the Israeli side, Abbas said: "Today we are facing an extreme right-wing Israeli government, which is seeking with all its might to destroy what remains of the foundations of the political process."
He added that Israel is doing this "through deliberate and planned racist and colonial practices, as well as its evasion of implementing all of its obligations, the latest of which are the commitments of Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh."
As for the Palestinian reconciliation efforts, the Palestinian President said: "We called on the general secretaries of the Palestinian factions for an urgent meeting at the end of this month in Cairo in order to restore national unity and develop a national program to face the challenges facing our people and our land."
Source: National Iraqi News Agency