Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that the U.S.' recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will only bring chaos to the region, and that he will express the concerns regarding the matter to the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, reports said Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with his U.S. counterpart Tillerson on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Çavuşoğlu said that the decision will be a grave mistake.
"Rather than bringing stability and peace, it will bring chaos to the region," Çavuşoğlu said, adding that Turkey has shown a clear stance against the U.S. decision.
The foreign minister highlighted that the global community, not just Muslims oppose the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and noted that he will express his concerns regarding the matter when he meets Tillerson.
As part of his election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to relocate the country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The recent move has been opposed by a number of world powers, including Turkey and the Arab League.
While Israel considers Jerusalem as its capital, the world opposes this, saying that the city's status should be determined in peace talks with Palestinians, who consider the eastern part of the city as their future capital.
TURKEY'S FOREIGN MINISTER CLEARS AIR WITH NATO ALLIES
"During the meeting, we emphasized our sensitivity over the YPG and stressed [the need for] President Trump to keep the promise made to our president," Çavuşoğlu said, using a different acronym for the PKK/PYD and referring to Trump's pledge to stop arming the group.
The pair also discussed American plans to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Çavuşoğlu said he had reiterated Ankara's view that the decision could "pave the way for chaos" in the Middle East.
They also talked about the recent visa crisis between the countries, which was sparked by the arrest of a Turkish national who works at the U.S.'s Istanbul consulate.
Çavuşoğlu said they had agreed to establish a working group to resolve any remaining issues after both sides suspended the issuing of some visas to the other's citizens.
The NATO meeting also saw Çavuşoğlu separately meet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and foreign ministers from Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania, Hungary, the U.K. and Norway.
Çavuşoğlu said he had discussed the Ataturk and Erdogan episode during the Norwegian exercise with Stoltenberg while talks with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel included steps towards normalizing relations and an invite for Çavuşoğlu to visit Germany.
Çavuşoğlu also spoke by telephone with his Iranian and Indonesian counterparts, Javad Zarif and and Retno Marsudi, on Wednesday. A diplomatic source said Çavuşoğlu had discussed the Jerusalem situation with both.
