Turkey 'concerned' over Czech move to open diplomatic office in Jerusalem

Turkey on Sunday voiced "concern" over the Czech Republic's move to open a diplomatic office in Jerusalem.

"We are concerned that the Czech Republic opened a diplomatic office in Jerusalem whose international status is guaranteed by UN resolutions," the Foreign Ministry statement said in a statement.

"The move would serve the attempts to erode the status of Jerusalem, one of the main parameters of the Palestine-Israel conflict," it added.

The statement also called on all members of the international community to respect the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and the international criterions for a fair, comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict.

In a controversial move, the Czech Republic on Thursday opened a diplomatic office in Jerusalem, affiliated to its embassy in Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Mideast conflict, with Palestinians insisting that East Jerusalem – illegally occupied by Israel since 1967 – should serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

Israel has been trying to convince world countries to transfer their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

European Union member states have refused to move their embassies to Jerusalem pending a final agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians on the issue of the holy city.

Among EU states, only Hungary also has a diplomatic office in Jerusalem.

With the exception of the US and Guatemala, countries worldwide have declined to shift embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, while Kosovo committed to open an embassy in Jerusalem after it established diplomatic relations with Israel in February.