Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Visit Türkiye on August 14-15

Ankara, The Gulf Observer: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will embark on an official visit to Türkiye on August 14-15, as announced by Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun.

“Mr. Abbas, who will meet with our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 14, will address the General Assembly of our Grand National Assembly on August 15,” Altun said in a statement on X on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus also confirmed the visit by Abbas. “If there are no setbacks in the coming days, we will invite Mr. Abbas to the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, where he will present the Palestinian cause before the members of parliament,” Kurtulmus said. He has also called for an extraordinary meeting of the parliament on August 15 for Abbas’s address.

“I call the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye for an extraordinary meeting in order to show our strong support for the Palestinian people and their cause and to ensure that the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people is heard around the world,” Kurtulmus added.

The visit comes in the wake of the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh earlier in the day in an airstrike in Tehran, escalating regional tensions.

In Gaza, the conflict has seen the loss of more than 39,000 Palestinian lives since October 7.

Earlier this month, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful and should end.