Turkish FM congratulates declaration of Palestine

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday congratulated the 29th anniversary of the declaration of the State of Palestine.

"On 29th Anniversary of of the State of Palestine we congratulate the Palestinian People," Cavusoglu said on his official Twitter account.

"Turkey will continue standing with Palestine in its just cause and providing strong support for independent and sovereign Palestine on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as capital," he added.

Turkey established official relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1975 and was one of the first countries that recognized the Palestinian State established in exile on Nov. 15, 1988.

A month later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution acknowledging the proclamation of the State of Palestine by the Palestine National Council. The Assembly "reaffirmed the need to enable the Palestinian people to exercise sovereignty over its territory occupied since 1967".

It also decided that the designation "Palestine" should be used in place of "Palestine Liberation Organization" in the United Nations system.