Monday, August 15, 2016

Report: Erdogan and Abbas to meet in Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas will reportedly meet at the end of the month, Arab media reported Sunday.
According to the Al-Halij online website, the two will meet in Turkey for one day and will discuss a number of issues on the agenda.

Among other things, said the report quoted by theNRG Hebrew-language news website, they will discuss the situation of the Palestinian Arabs in Gaza, the French peace initiative and the PA's attempt to take action against Israel at the UN Security Council.

A Palestinian Arab official noted that Abbas's visit to Turkey will be part of a regional trip that will also include Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, France and other countries.

This tour will take about two weeks, the official said, adding that Abbas's regional tour is considered a routine visit that will deal with political issues.

At the same time he stressed that the meeting with Erdogan is of paramount importance, and this is the first meeting between the two since the recent failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Erdogan is known for his backing of the Hamas terrorist group, having met with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Turkey days before his country signed a reconciliation agreement with Israel.

The Turkish president later claimed, however, that he consulted with Hamas leaders as well as with Abbas before signing the deal with Israel.

As part of the Israel-Turkey deal, Israel facilitates the transfer of Turkish aid shipments into Gaza. In fact, not long after the deal was signed, a Turkish aid ship arrived in Gaza after Israeli authorities had inspected its contents.