Turkish PM Erdoğan meets Hamas leader Mashaal in Ankara

ANKARA

Khaled Mashaal. AA photo

The prime ministry in Ankara was the venue for a meeting between the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Khaled Mashaal, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today.

The meeting, which started at 7 p.m. and lasted for three hours, was closed to the press.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, National Intelligence Agency (MİT) chief Hakan Fidan, Deputy Undersecretary for the Prime Minister’s Office İbrahim Kalın and advisor Sefer Turan were also present at the meeting, Anadolu Agency reported.

The meeting between Mashaal and Erdoğan came around four months after their latest meeting.

It came at a time when rumors suggest that Mashaal, currently in exile in Qatar, is searching for another place to live.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, sources from the Office of the Prime Ministry declined to give further information regarding the agenda of the meeting.

The latest meeting between Erdoğan and Mashaal also took place at the prime ministry official residence on June 18. Gaza’s Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and a number of members of Hamas’ political wing had also participated in that meeting.