Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.

Abbas briefed the Turkish president about the ongoing Israeli attacks against Palestinians, the acceleration of settlement expansion in the West Bank, and the desecration of Islamic and Christian sites, and the foreclosure of a political solution to the conflict. He also thanked Erdogan for his support of Palestinians, including backing the Palestinian cause in international forums and providing aid to the Palestinian people.

In turn, the Turkish president affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to freedom and the establishment of state on their own soil. 

They also discussed the bilateral ties between the countries, as well as other international issues of common concern.

President Erdogan had received President Mahmoud Abbas with an official ceremony in the Turkish capital, Ankara, that included a gun salute.

Following the meeting between the two leaders, a broader meeting with be held with the rest of the delegation, including  Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Muhammad Mustafa, head of the General Intelligence Service Major General Majid Faraj, Chief Justice of Palestine, Advisor to the President for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habash, Advisor to the Diplomatic President Majdi Al-Khalidi, and Palestinian Ambassador to Turkey Faed Mustafa.