Erdogan congratulates Macron on recognizing the State of Palestine

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on Sunday for announcing that France will recognize the State of Palestine in September at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"A two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region," the Turkish head of state emphasized during his telephone conversation with Macron, calling on the international community to act urgently to address the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.

Erdogan “congratulated French President Macron on his decision to recognize Palestine as a state,” he added.

A diplomatic source revealed this Sunday that Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz will participate in a conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia in New York on Monday and Tuesday, with the aim of reviving the idea of a two-state solution in the Middle East.

France had to defend Macron's announcement last week, claiming it was intended to "prove the peace camp was right," in response to harsh criticism from Israel and the United States, which accused Paris of playing into the hands of the Islamist group Hamas.

On Thursday, Macron announced that France will recognize the State of Palestine.

"True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine. I will make the formal announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next September," the French head of state wrote in the X.

France's decision prompted Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin to call it a "direct incitement to terrorism," while the Palestine Liberation Organization welcomed it.

Hamas applauded the French president for promising to recognize the State of Palestine and called on other countries to follow suit.

"We consider this a positive step in the right direction to bring justice to our oppressed Palestinian people and support their legitimate right to self-determination," Hamas, based in the Gaza Strip and considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union and several other countries, said in a statement.