ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said Ankara will continue to work with Indonesia on the reconstruction of Gaza and defending the Palestinian cause.

"In the forthcoming period, we will continue working with Indonesia to rebuild Gaza and advocate for the Palestinian cause," Erdogan told a joint news conference with his visiting Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in the capital Ankara.

Israel opposes a two-state solution to its conflict with Palestine and has killed more than 50,000 people in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, reducing the enclave to a rubble.

Prabowo was welcomed at the presidential palace earlier in the day. He also addressed the Turkish parliament.

Erdogan said Türkiye continues its cooperation with Indonesia across all international platforms, including the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, G20, D-8, and MIKTA.

Prabowo’s address to the Turkish parliament is “the most beautiful manifestation of the longstanding brotherhood between our countries,” Erdogan said, adding that the two leaders agreed on making new strides in their cooperation ranging from the defense industry to contracting, and from health and energy to the food sector.

“In the context of the defense industry, we discussed our ongoing projects and explored new opportunities for cooperation, including joint production,” the Turkish president said.

On the exchange of tourists between the two countries, Erdogan expressed his pleasure with the number of Indonesian visitors to Türkiye, which reached 203,000 in 2024.

On bilateral trade, the Turkish president said: "We reviewed the potential steps to expand the trade volume to the target of 10 billion dollars in a balanced manner, based on mutual benefit."

Commenting on the forthcoming three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which will kick off on Friday and will also be attended by Prabowo, Erdogan said: “Undoubtedly, this strong interest once again highlights our country’s growing influence in global diplomacy.”

“I sincerely believe that President Subianto’s visit will contribute to both our bilateral and multilateral cooperation,” he added.