Steps that are taken with Israel on bilateral ties will not reduce Türkiye's support for the Palestinian issue, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday.
“Türkiye does not accept acts directed toward changing the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem. We have voiced this to our Israeli interlocutors,” Erdoğan said during a joint press conference with Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas in the capital Ankara.
Türkiye, which recognized the Palestinian state from the moment it was declared, defends its vision of a two-state solution on every platform, Erdoğan underlined.
"Our Palestinian brothers also express that these steps will contribute to the solution of the Palestinian issue and the improvement of the situation of the Palestinian people," he continued.
Abbas, for his part, said that he briefed Erdoğan on the latest developments in Palestine. Erdoğan welcomed Abbas with an official ceremony at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.
Abbas did not mention Turkish-Israeli relations in his comments but thanked Erdoğan for his past support.
"I would like to thank you for the close attention and hospitality you have shown us," Abbas told Erdoğan.
"I would like to reiterate my gratitude for the fact that Türkiye and the Turkish government are on the side of Palestine."
Abbas' three-day visit comes as Türkiye and Israel take steps to normalize ties, including last week's decision to restore full diplomatic relations and reappoint ambassadors and consuls general after a four-year hiatus.
Erdoğan welcomed Abbas in an official ceremony at the presidential complex.
He held the veteran Palestinian leader by the hand while gingerly walking him down a turquoise carpet to the complex.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu argued on Tuesday that an open dialogue with Israel will help Ankara better defend Palestinian rights.
"The fact that we normalize our relations does not mean that we will make concessions on Palestine," Çavuşoğlu said in a television interview. "Dialogue should continue even if you do not agree on everything."
Çavuşoğlu said Palestinian leaders also "want our relations with Israel to be normalized."
"They also know that thanks to this dialogue, we will better defend the Palestinian cause," he said. Çavuşoğlu had visited Ramallah in May and met with his Palestinian counterpart Riad al-Maliki.
