President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine held a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Complex. Stating that they discussed the developments in Palestine in detail during their meeting with Palestinian President Abbas today, President Erdoğan said: “We evaluated the steps that can be taken to further enhance our relations. We reaffirmed our support for strengthening the capacity of the Palestinian state and improving the current conditions of the Palestinian people.” “THE ONLY WAY TO ACHIEVE A FAIR AND LASTING PEACE IN THE REGION IS TO DEFEND THE VISION OF A TWO-STATE SOLUTION” Noting that the Palestinian issue has not received the attention it deserves from the international community for a long time, President Erdoğan said: “It is important that the international community, especially the United Nations, engages strongly in the Palestinian issue. As Türkiye, we maintain our solidarity with the Palestinian people and our support for the Palestinian cause in the strongest manner.” Stating that they closely follow the developments in Palestine in this regard, President Erdoğan said: “We are deeply concerned about the increasing loss of lives, destruction, expansion of illegal settlements and settler violence. I would like to take this occasion to once again wish Allah's mercy on our Palestinian brothers and sisters who lost their lives and extend my condolences to the Palestinian state and people. The only way to achieve a fair and lasting peace in the region is to defend the vision of a two-state solution.” “We cannot accept acts aimed at changing the historical status quo of holy sites, particularly the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Unity and reconciliation among our Palestinian brothers and sisters is one of the fundamental elements in this process. I once again shared with my esteemed brother that we are ready to provide all kinds of support in this field,” President Erdoğan said. “WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT EVERY EFFORT TO INCREASE THE SECURITY AND WELFARE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE” “The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency) TIKA, Turkish Red Crescent and Turkish NGOs continue to provide humanitarian and development assistance to Palestine. Our contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, to whose activities we attach great importance, will continue as in previous years,” President Erdoğan said. “During our talks, we exchanged views on our bilateral relations as well as regional developments. We will continue to defend the Palestinian cause in the strongest way and support every effort to increase the security and welfare of the Palestinian people with all our strength. I would like to underscore that the establishment of an independent State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, with al-Quds as its capital, on the basis of the United Nations parameters is essential for the peace and stability of our entire region. I especially would like to express my gratitude to the entire Palestinian people for naming a square in Ramallah after me,” President Erdoğan said.