Top Turkish diplomat meets with Palestinian counterpart

JEDDAH/ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met Sunday with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in Saudi Arabia's capital, which is set to host a high-level meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Cavusoglu will take part in an Emergency Open-Ended Executive Committee Ministerial Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on Monday upon the request of Palestine in order to discuss the most recent developments with regard to the U.S.’s so-called Middle East peace plan.

Cavusoglu is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from OIC member states.

Earlier the day, the top Turkish diplomat spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Vadym Prystaiko and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, according to diplomatic sources.

No further information was provided on the issues discussed.

The position on U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called 'Deal of the Century' will be discussed during the OIC's emergency meeting at the headquarters of the General Secretariat, the organization said earlier on Twitter.

"The #OIC reaffirms its principled position and support for #Palestine in the struggle to regain its legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign state with East #Jerusalem as its capital," it added.

Trump on Tuesday announced his so-called plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during a press conference at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with no Palestinian officials present.

During the event, Trump referred to Jerusalem as "Israel's undivided capital."

The so-called “Deal of the Century” unilaterally annuls previous UN resolutions on the Palestinian issue and suggests giving Israel almost everything they have been demanding.