RABAT
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has paid a visit late Wednesday to The Anadolu Agency's office in the Moroccan capital Rabat.
"We closely follow and appreciate the latests achievements and initiatives of AA, and are happy to see its offices wherever we go," said Kurtulmus during the visit, after he attended the Quds Contact Group meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The Turkish minister said a country's international influence is sign of its power.
Kurtulmus pointed out that the Arabic-speaking regions had long been neglected by Turkey, and that the government has been re-establishing contacts with the Arab states.
The Anadolu Agency is a well-established global news agency offering newswires in seven languages, with operations in most major regions around the globe, including the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Asia-Pacific.
Kurtulmus attended a Quds Contact Group meeting in Rabat on Wednesday, in which Turkey suggested establishing an Istanbul-based International Quds Foundation to protect Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa mosque. The extraordinary meeting was called for by Palestine after Israel's recent violation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Al-Aqsa complex in Jerusalem, which represents the world's third holiest site for Muslims, was stormed last week by a group of Jewish settlers and Israeli security forces.
Tension has been running high in the holy historic city since late last month, when Israeli authorities temporarily closed the al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem after an attack on an extremist Jewish rabbi.
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