Turkish president phones Saudi, Palestinian leaders

By Cemal Coskun and Murat Paksoy

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday spoke with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Palestine over the phone.

Erdogan and Saudi King Salman welcomed a UN General Assembly resolution that urges protection for Palestinians.

The Turkish and Algerian-sponsored resolution passed in the General Assembly on Wednesday in a 120-8 vote. In all, 45 countries abstained.

The resolution blamed Israel for the recent deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and urged the international community to consider protection for Palestinian civilians.

The countries that voted against the resolution include the U.S., Israel, Australia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Togo, Solomon Islands and Micronesia.

The two leaders also exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional issues and congratulated each other on the occasion of the Muslim Eid-al Fitr holiday.

Erdogan also spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for Eid and discussed the latest developments in Palestine.

Earlier, he congratulated his Somalian counterpart Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on the occasion of Eid.

ALATURKA AİLESİ ÜYELERİ NE DİYOR?