ANKARA, Tuesday, August 23, 2022 – President Mahmoud Abbas today expressed his deep appreciation for the steadfast positions of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in supporting the Palestinian people in their quest for freedom, independence, and national unity.

Speaking at a joint press conference with President Erdoğan in Ankara, President Abbas said the meeting provided an opportunity to consult and exchange views on regional and international developments, as well as on Türkiye’s important role in global food security amid ongoing global challenges.

“We strive, in every meeting with His Excellency, to advance bilateral relations between our two brotherly countries toward new horizons of cooperation and exchange in various fields,” President Abbas added.

He stressed that the Palestinian leadership will not accept the continuation of Israeli occupation authorities’ aggressive practices against the Palestinian people, their land, and holy sites, emphasizing that all unilateral Israeli actions that violate international law and signed agreements must cease.

President Abbas added that the daily incursions into Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps, as well as the recent closure of Palestinian civil and human rights institutions, further fuel tensions. He said such criminal practices are unacceptable and must stop before it is too late.

He reiterated that achieving peace and security must begin with a complete halt to measures undermining the two-state solution, and by moving toward a genuine political horizon. He reaffirmed the Palestinian leadership’s commitment to peaceful popular resistance and rejection of violence and terrorism in the region and the world.

President Abbas, who arrived in Türkiye on Monday, was earlier welcomed with official ceremonies at the presidential palace in Ankara before the start of formal talks.