The agreement was signed between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki, yesterday, ahead of Tuesday’s Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit.
The committee, which will be co-chaired by the foreign ministers of the two countries, will convene at least twice every year in order to determine areas of cooperation and lay out action plans.
Under the agreement, Turkey will provide political assistance to Palestine, training to its diplomats and training in the areas technical cooperation. The committee will also organize investments to improve the use of water resources and the agricultural sector. There will also be joint projects in health, education, culture and science. Turkey will increase the number of scholarships it awards to Palestinian students each year and help Palestine build better infrastructure.
Observers say the establishment of a joint committee shows that Turkey -- a supporter of Gaza and the Middle East peace process-- is taking concrete steps to indicate its political support for Palestine.
President Abdullah Gül and Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas also met yesterday at the Çırağan Palace ahead of the CICA summit. The meeting was closed to the press.
