Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sunday Türkiye is ready to do its part to stop the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reduce escalated tensions.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the St. Ephrem Syriac Ancient Orthodox Church, the first-ever church built in Türkiye's century-long history as a republic.
President Erdoğan also urged realization of an independent, geographically integrated Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Earlier Saturday, Türkiye called on both Israelis and Palestinians to act with restraint in light of the growing violence.
"We call on the parties to act with restraint in light of the events in Israel this morning and to stay away from impulsive steps that will escalate tensions, President Erdoğan said in the capital Ankara.
"Türkiye will continue to oppose any attempt against the Al-Aqsa Mosque," the Turkish president added.
The Foreign Ministry, in the meanwhile, said Türkiye was deeply concerned over the violence in Israel and Palestine, saying that the restoration of peace in region crucial.
It continued by saying that Türkiye is ready to contribute to ensure the situation in Israel and Palestine does not escalate further, while calling on both parties to give up use of force and work on a permanent solution for peace without further delay.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the ongoing tensions with regional and international counterparts.
He discussed the matter with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Furhan al-Saud, Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
He also held a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the ongoing developments, diplomatic sources said.
Ankara supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Despite the recent rapprochement with Israel, Turkish officials continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Türkiye has said there would be no change to Ankara’s position toward the Palestinians despite the normalization efforts with Israel.
