Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, in the Turkish capital of Ankara to discuss the upcoming reconciliation meeting in Cairo. 

The two discussed the ways to ease tensions ahead of a landmark meeting between all Palestinian factions in the Egyptian capital later this month, according to a statement by Hamas. 

The Palestinian Authority has accused Hamas of undermining its rule in the occupied West Bank, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad have charged that the PA security forces have quashed resistance, in particular in a wave of recent arrests.

Abbas met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as part of an official three-day visit on Tuesday, while Hamas' leadership scuttles between Turkey, Qatar and Lebanon. Erdogan will meet with both leaders later on Wednesday.

Hussam Badran, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, said that the "frank and in-depth" discussion concluded that there is a need for national unity and that "comprehensive resistance" would be the most effective way to confront the occupation.