Turkey reaffirms support for Palestinian statehood recognition
Erdoğan wished Abbas good health and said Turkey will keep pursuing diplomatic efforts for recognition of a Palestinian state.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaffirmed Turkey's support for international recognition of Palestinian statehood in a message to President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Erdoğan sent the message to mark the 38th anniversary of the declaration of Palestinian independence.
He said Turkey would keep working through diplomacy to build wider international backing for recognizing the State of Palestine and securing the Palestinian people's legitimate rights.
In the message, Erdoğan said Turkey saw it as "our historic duty" to oppose injustice and oppression against the Palestinian people.
He said Turkey would defend the two-state solution, which he called "the only path to achieving a just and lasting peace," in every international forum, Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan said the final goal is an independent, sovereign and geographically contiguous Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders.
He also wished Abbas continued good health and well-being, and wished the Palestinian people peace, prosperity and a bright future.
The Palestinian Declaration of Independence was issued in Algiers in November 1988 by the Palestine National Council, the body that proclaimed the Palestinian state at the time.
The two-state solution, which envisions a Palestinian state alongside Israel, has been the basis of international peace efforts for decades, and many countries have since recognized the State of Palestine.