Any peace deal which does not envisage the creation of an independent Palestinian state is bound to be rejected, Turkey’s foreign minister said Wednesday.
‘NO PEACE DEAL WITHOUT FREE PALESTINE STATE’
“Throughout our Chairmanship, we spared no efforts to defend the rights of the Palestinians as our common cause,” Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah province, Saudi Arabia. Çavuşoğlu said it is “more important than ever” to unite forces and efforts of OIC countries for the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestine. “This is a responsibility that falls first and foremost on our shoulders.”
He stressed that all member nations need to renew their commitment to the preservation of the status of Jerusalem and emphasized it will remain a red line.
“I am therefore confident that any peace deal which does not envisage the creation of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital is bound to be rejected by the OIC community,” Çavuşoğlu said.
On Syria, he said Turkey assumes a leading role in international efforts to reach a sustainable political solution.
“Our work within the Astana platform continues to de-escalate tension on the ground and facilitates the political process,” he added. “Idlib Memorandum prevented not only a humanitarian disaster and massive refugee flow towards Turkey, but also the collapse of political process,” Çavuşoğlu said.