By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki has welcomed Azerbaijan's decision to open a diplomatic office in Ramallah soon.
This came during a meeting he held at the headquarters of the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah on Thursday with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, according to a statement issued by Al-Maliki's office.
The statement quoted the Azerbaijani foreign minister as saying that his country "will open this year a diplomatic representation office in the State of Palestine."
Commenting on the move Al-Maliki said: "We look forward to your next visit to the State of Palestine to officially open the representative office."
"This decision enhances cooperation with the Republic of Azerbaijan in many fields of culture, tourism, education, scientific research and development, and would contribute to strengthening and consolidating relations between our two countries in areas of common interest," the Palestinian top diplomat said.
Al-Maliki expressed his hope that "the level of representation will be raised to the level of an embassy soon."
He pointed out that Palestine and Azerbaijan "have relations based on brotherhood and friendship, and their peoples are linked to similar historical, religious and cultural values."
Al-Maliki praised the bilateral relations between the two countries and reviewed the developments in the Palestinian territories, and "the Israeli violations," according to the statement.
"Israel is continuing its colonial, settler occupation project, which is based on apartheid and the apartheid regime," he added.
The statement said: "Bayramov affirmed his country's position in support of the option of the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat