Erdogan: We won’t compromise our position on Jerusalem

Turkey still rejects the United States’ decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday.

Speaking at a joint conference with his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, in the capital Nouakchott, Erdogan said: “We will never compromise where we stand on Jerusalem,” stressing that “Al-Quds [Jerusalem] is the capital of Palestine, which we have already declared.”

“Al-Quds [Jerusalem] is important to the Christian world as it is to the Muslims,” the Turkish presidency office quoted Erdogan as saying.

“The US decision to relocate its embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is not binding on us by any means,” the Turkish leader said.

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He pointed to the UN General Assembly’s resolution which was passed by 128 votes, calling on the US to spur its move.

On 6 December, despite worldwide opposition, US President Donald Trump officially recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The decision sparked protests across the world.

Erdogan arrived in Mauritania on Wednesday on the second-leg of a four-country tour of Africa. After Mauritania, Erdogan headed to Senegal and Mali. His first official Africa tour took place in December, during which he visited Sudan, Chad and Tunisia.