Istanbul, Dec 7 (AFP) Turkish President Recep TayyipErdogan today held telephone talks with Pope Francis todiscuss the crisis triggered by the recognition of Jerusalemby the United States as the capital of Israel, state mediasaid.
The Turkish leader and head of the Roman Catholic Churchhave both strongly opposed the move announced by US PresidentDonald Trump, and Erdogan has called an emergency summitmeeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) onDecember 13.
The state-run Anadolu news agency gave no further detailsbut NTV television said Erdogan and Francis shared theirconcern over the situation.
Citing presidential sources, it said that Erdoganexpressed his appreciation to Francis for his stance on theissue and both agreed the status quo should not be changed.
Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered byIsrael's storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomaticties.
The two sides have since stepped up cooperation,particularly in energy, but Erdogan, who regards himself as achampion of the Palestinian cause, is still often bitterlycritical of Israeli policy.
Erdogan earlier warned Trump that the move would put theregion in a "ring of fire". (AFP)NSA.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.