May 19, The Iran Project - Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Istanbul on Friday (May 18) to take part in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) extraordinary meeting on Palestine.

Turkey as the rotating president of OIC has invited the heads of states and foreign ministers of the Muslim countries to the meeting to discuss the latest status of the occupied territories.

While in Istanbul, President Rouhani held talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and addressed the OIC extraordinary meeting on Palestine.

The Iranian president also held brief meetings with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Jordan's king on the sidelines of the event.

In a meantime, Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi arrived in Ankara at the head of a high-ranking delegation on Wednesday (May� 16) to meet with Erdogan.

President Rouhani, in a meeting with his Turkish counterpart,� stressed the importance of cooperation between Iran and Turkey in resolving regional issues, especially defending the rights of the oppressed Palestinian nation, saying �development of Tehran-Ankara relations is beneficial to both nations and contributes to strengthening of stability and security in the region."

Erdogan, for his part, referred to the cooperation between Iran and Turkey in regional issues, saying �most of the US administration�s actions such as their unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal and moving their embassy to al-Quds are not legitimate and acceptable to other countries of the world."

Delivering speech at the extraordinary meeting of OIC foreign ministers, Zarif urged the need to push for "a transparent and independent international inquiry and asking for providing international protection for the Palestinians as envisaged in international humanitarian law".

The meeting of foreign ministers was followed by a meeting of the Organization's heads of states later in the day.

Addressing the emergency meeting of OIC, the Iranian President censured occupation of Palestinian territories as a big menace to global peace, saying if developed and democratic countries surround the Zionist regime and if it faces a united Ummah it can never continue its crimes.

The Iranian president also proposed six initiatives and practical suggestions, calling on all Muslims and Islamic states to exercise unity in action and cooperate to build a stronger, more stable region away from futile disputes of attrition.

Eventually, OIC emergency meeting ended by issuing a statement calling for setting up a committee to deal with the Zionists� crimes in the occupied lands.

The statement called on major international bodies such as Security Council, UN secretary general, Human Rights Council and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately set up a committee to probe Zionists' crimes in the occupied lands.

The Iranian president wrapped up his day-long visit to Turkey and returned home early Saturday (May 19) morning from Istanbul.