Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated that he views the Palestinian movement Hamas as a political force and not a terrorist organization. He also believes that the Fatah movement and Hamas should coexist in peace with each other.
"I have repeatedly said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization, that it is a political party. I repeat it again. As a political party they are fighting for rights. I gathered representatives of Fatah and Hamas <...> in my office. This meeting has already been covered in the media. Fatah and Hamas are meeting and these talks can be further developed. I believe that we at Turkey have done a lot and can still do a lot on this issue because Fatah and Hamas should coexist in peace with each other," Erdogan told his pool reporters on his return from Hungary, where he was on an official visit on December 18. His remarks were quoted by Anadolu Agency.
"We must protect this unity <...>. I believe that this is how we will achieve the result. Now our problem is the evacuation of the wounded and sick [individuals] from Gaza to our country," the Turkish president said.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS