Turkey welcomes Hamas-Fatah deal

ANKARA

Gaza's Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, right, shows a copy of a singed agreement while siting next to senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad. AP Photo

Turkey has welcomed the unification deal between the two Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, and vowed to contribute to the push to establish a free, independent and sovereign Palestinian state.

“We welcome the agreement between the Fatah and Hamas delegations on April 23 for the establishment of a unity government and to go to elections,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on April 24.

Expressing Ankara’s hope that the agreement will pave the way to bring about a government embracing all Palestinians through elections slated to be held late this year, and for a “just and comprehensive peace” in the region, the statement underlined that the “unity of the Palestinians” was crucial for regional peace.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also held a phone conversation with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal to congratulate the unification deal between Hamas and Fatah.

Turkey had contributed to talks between the two factions in recent years to attempt to narrow the differences between Palestinians.