Turkish PM Erdoğan’s Gaza trip to take place in ‘shortest and most correct time’

ANKARA

During his visit to Washington in May, Erdoğan said his Gaza visit would probably take place in June and include the West Bank. Daily News Photo, Selahattin Sönmez

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Gaza is on the agenda, but no date has yet been set, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said today.

“No speculation should be made about the date,” Davutoğlu said at a joint press conference with visiting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, expressing his wish that the “visit to Palestine takes place in the shortest and most correct time.”

During his visit to Washington in May, Erdoğan said that he would "probably" visit Gaza in June, a visit that would include the West Bank. “Gaza is ready. We cannot ready ourselves because of other incidents, but we could make a surprise at any time,” Erdoğan said on June 25 in Ankara.

He had previously said he intended to visit Gaza in April, before announcing that the trip would finally take place after his talks in the United States.

The prime minister last week met Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal in Ankara.

Haniyeh May 4 described Erdoğan’s prospective visit as “historic”, adding that the Hamas government had already started the preparations. “We will host Erdoğan as Turkey and the Turkish people deserve,” Haniyeh was quoted as saying by Anatolia news agency.