The Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Istanbul declaration was not "retaliation” for the US decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Turkey’s presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said.
Speaking to state news channel TRT Haber, Kalin said that not only the OIC’s 57 members but also European, Latin American, and Asian countries rejected the US decision.
"Islamic countries are united and strengthened more in the wake of the US decision," the spokesman said.
According to him, the summit resolved to take other important steps such as bringing the Jerusalem issue to the UN, speeding the process of Palestine’s recognition as a state, merging funds to boost Jerusalem’s economy, and bringing the forgotten cause of Palestine to the international arena.
Kalin also said Turkey’s Consulate in East Jerusalem has already been serving as an embassy, the Anadolu Agency reported.
He underlined that peace and stability in the Middle East is "impossible" without solving the Palestinian issue.
Kalin's remarks came a day after the OIC summit in Istanbul issued a declaration recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
