Turkiye says it will continue to stand by Palestine for independent state

By Burak Bir and Mahmoud Mohamed Barakat

ANKARA (AA) – Turkiye will continue to stand by Palestinian people for independent and sovereign Palestine, the country's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the joint news conference with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that Turkiye will pursue normalized ties with Israel in coordination with Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian issue is independent from the normalization process with Israel, he stressed.

Cavusoglu also said relevant ministers of Turkiye and Palestine will meet at the end of June to discuss economic ties.

- 'Distinguished, authentic, strong ties'

For his part, Riyad al-Maliki said that the two top diplomats discussed Israeli violations in Palestinian territories and other concerns.

He hailed the "distinguished, authentic, and strong ties" with Turkiye.

"Turkish stances are consistent with aspirations of Palestinian people and their cause," Al-Maliki said, praising Ankara's role in supporting the Palestinian people and their cause.

The plane carrying Cavusoglu landed at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on early Tuesday where he was welcomed by Israeli officials.

Later, Cavusoglu made his next stop at the West Bank city of Ramallah and visited the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

Ahead of the bilateral meeting with al-Maliki, he chaired the second meeting of the Joint Committee of the Palestinian and Turkish Foreign Ministries which was established in 2010.

Cavusoglu is also expected to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Following his meetings in Palestine, the Turkish foreign minister will pay an official visit to Israel on Wednesday and hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid on bilateral relations and regional and international matters.