Erdogan meets Abbas in Ankara, reaffirms support for Palesti

ANKARA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his support for the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders during a live-streamed joint press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here on Wednesday.

"We will resolutely fight for the realization of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, and possessing geographic integrity," said Erdogan, adding that Türkiye will continue to defend the Palestinian cause in the strongest possible way on every platform.

Abbas stressed that Gaza is an "inseparable part of the Palestinian state" and Palestinian people will stand on their own land, noting that the Palestinian government is giving due importance to the parliamentary election scheduled for November and the presidential election next year.

The visit comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday formally rejected the U.S.-backed 15-point plan for ending the Gaza conflict, insisting that Israel will not withdraw its forces from the enclave until Hamas is fully disarmed.