President Erdoğan discusses Israeli attacks with regional leaders
ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke separately by phone late on May 10 with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
According to a statement issued by the Turkish Communications Directorate, the three leaders discussed the ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinians and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
All Muslims are in fact the addressees of Israel's inhuman attacks on Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinians, Erdoğan said during his call with King Abdullah II.
During the calls, Erdoğan highlighted the importance of working together to stop Israel's "despicable" attacks.
Erdoğan also held separate phone conversations with Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, according to a statement by Turkey's Communications Directorate.
During talks with the Malaysian king, Erdoğan stressed the importance of "banding together in the face of the oppression the Palestinians suffer due to Israel's attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque."
"President Erdoğan expressed his confidence that Turkey and Malaysia would act in close cooperation at all relevant platforms, particularly at the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," said the statement.
In talks with the emir of Qatar, Erdogan "highlighted the importance of Turkey and Qatar's joint effort to mobilize regional countries and the international community against Israel's attacks against Al-Quds, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinians," it added, referring to another name for Jerusalem.
Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem since last week when Israeli settlers swarmed in after an Israeli court ordered the eviction of Palestinian families.
Palestinians protesting in solidarity with the residents of Sheikh Jarrah have been targeted by Israeli forces.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980 – a move that has never been recognized by the international community.
Turkish, Russian foreign ministers condemn eviction of Palestinians
Turkish and Russian foreign ministers condemned the eviction of Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah during a phone call on May 11.
According to the statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation in East Jerusalem, expressed concern over the deterioration of relations between Palestine and Israel and the
increasing tension in East Jerusalem, especially in the Al-Aqsa region.
The two ministers also discussed issues related to the shipment of the Sputnik V vaccine to Turkey and its production in Turkey within the framework of the agreement between Russia and Turkey.
The importance of continuing efforts to stabilize the situation in Karabakh was also emphasized at the meeting.
Turkey’s foreign minister also spoke by phone late on May 10 with his Palestinian and Tunisian counterparts as well as the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) amid Israeli attacks on Palestinians and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Çavuşoğlu, his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki and Tunisian counterpart Othman Jerandi discussed the latest developments in Jerusalem and the steps to be taken in the international arena, according to diplomatic sources.
During his call with Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Cavusoglu discussed the steps to be taken to convene the OIC's Jerusalem committee and to mobilize the international community, including the U.N.