Abbas on official visit to Turkey

Abbas arrived in Turkey yesterday for a three-day diplomatic visit

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Turkey on October 24, 2016. [Hakan Göktepe/Anadolu]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at Presidential complex in Turkey on October 24, 2016. [Turkish Presidency / Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Anadolu Agency]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at Presidential complex in Turkey on October 24, 2016. [Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Anadolu Agency]

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, today in an ongoing effort to improve Turkish-Palestinian relations.

In an interview with Palestinian radio station Mawtini, Majdi Al-Khalidi, Abbas’ advisor for diplomatic affairs and international relations, said that the two heads of state discussed a series of internal and external Palestinian issues, specifically Palestinian national reconciliation.

Al-Khalidi added that construction has begun on establishing a Palestinian-Turkish “industrial area” in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin, “to share experiences between the two countries and improve Palestinian economic conditions.”

Abbas arrived in Turkey yesterday for a three-day diplomatic visit in which he was set to meet with Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, and Grand National Assembly Speaker Ismail Kahraman.

According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, Abbas’ presence in Turkey coincides with a visit by Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in the country.

Abbas was also scheduled to lay a wreath of flowers on the tomb of the founder the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

A report by Chinese news agency Xinhua said on Saturday that Abbas would fly to Qatar following his visit to Turkey.

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