Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Ankara on Monday upon an invitation by his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, Abbas came to Ankara to discuss recent developments in Palestine with Turkish authorities.
Speaking at a joint press conference after his meeting with Abbas, Erdoğan called on Tel Aviv to end the occupation of Palestinian territories, which undermines the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“As we saw in recent incidents, there is no benefit to anyone in increasing tension. As Turkey we are always ready to support efforts to revive the peace process. The key to success here is protecting the rights of the Palestinians,” Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan also promised Abbas that he would continue efforts for the recognition of Palestine on all international platforms.
He also added that the path to permanent peace was the realization of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Abbas is in Ankara to end the division between Hamas and Fatah, whose chair is Abbas.
Fatah and Hamas have been at loggerheads since 2007 when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in a coup d’état and ousted the Fatah-dominated government from the territory.