Alwaght- Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Muslim states to present a united front to protect the holy sites in occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem).
“I want to note the importance we put on the role of Jordan in the protection of the holy places in al-Quds,” Erdogan told reporters on Monday in Istanbul before departing for Jordan. “We don’t want to experience the same abuse, violation of rights and attacks."
Jordan is the custodian of the al-Aqsa mosque compound in east al-Quds, the third holiest site in Islam. Erdogan, who is being accompanied by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, will travel to Jordanian capital Amman on the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries.
Addressing the situation in occupied al-Quds and the Palestinian territories during a meeting with King Abdullah II, Erdogan aims to boost trade and discuss Syria and Iraq amid concerns for the territorial integrity of both.
Monday’s news conference also saw Erdogan questioned about last week’s visit by the head of the Iranian Chief of the General Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri, to Ankara.
Erdogan suggested Iran and Turkey could work together to target the Kurdish PKK militant group in Turkey and its affiliate in Iran, the PJAK, at their bases in northern Iraq.
“They constantly bring damage to both Turkey and Iran,” he said. “We are working on the basis that we can come to a conclusion in a different way and in a shorter time if we were in solidarity against this threat.”