Turkey says it will continue to stand by Palestine for independent state

Turkey will continue to stand by Palestinian people for independent and sovereign Palestine, the country's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the joint news conference with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that Turkey will pursue normalized ties with Israel in coordination with Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian issue is independent from the normalization process with Israel, he stressed.

Çavuşoğlu also said relevant ministers of Turkey and Palestine will meet at the end of June to discuss economic ties.

'DISTINGUISHED, AUTHENTIC, STRONG TIES'

For his part, Riyad al-Maliki said that the two top diplomats discussed Israeli violations in Palestinian territories and other concerns.

He hailed the "distinguished, authentic, and strong ties" with Turkey.

"Turkish stances are consistent with aspirations of Palestinian people and their cause," Al-Maliki said, praising Ankara's role in supporting the Palestinian people and their cause.

The plane carrying Çavuşoğlu landed at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on early Tuesday where he was welcomed by Israeli officials.

Later, Çavuşoğlu made his next stop at the West Bank city of Ramallah and visited the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

Ahead of the bilateral meeting with al-Maliki, he chaired the second meeting of the Joint Committee of the Palestinian and Turkish Foreign Ministries which was established in 2010.

Çavuşoğlu is also expected to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Following his meetings in Palestine, the Turkish foreign minister will pay an official visit to Israel on Wednesday and hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid on bilateral relations and regional and international matters.