VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis has again stressed the importance of preserving the status quo in occupied Jerusalem and urged fresh talks between Israel and Palestinians on a two-state solution, the Vatican said on Thursday.

The Argentine pontiff strongly opposed United States President Donald Trump’s bitterly-contested move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his plans to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Referring to “the unique nature of Jerusalem” in a letter to Egypt’s top Muslim cleric Ahmed Al Tayeb, Francis said that “only a special status, guaranteed by the international community, can preserve its identity, (and) unique vocation as a place of peace.”

Only in that way “would allow a future of reconciliation and hope for the entire region,” he said. “The Holy See will not cease from urgently calling for dialogue to resume between Israelis and Palestinians for a negotiated solution aimed at the peaceful coexistence of two states,” the letter continued.

Jerusalem, which contains sites considered sacred by Christians, Jews and Muslims, is of huge importance to both Israel and the Palestinians and Francis had already urged in December for the “status quo” to be respected.

There were protests in the Middle East and elsewhere over Trump’s declaration, a move that drew global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Pope Francis at the Vatican next month for talks likely to focus on the controversial US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Turkish leader and head of the Roman Catholic Church both strongly opposed the bitterly-contested move announced by Trump at the end of last year.

Erdogan’s first trip to the tiny state will be on Feb.5, the Vatican said. It follows phone calls between the two leaders who share concerns over the crisis and agree the status quo should remain.

The Argentine Pope met Erdogan during his trip to Turkey in November 2014. The return visit will be the first by a Turkish president since 1959.

Erdogan has expressed hope for a better relationship with the European Union after a fractious 2017, despite concerns over human rights violations in Turkey, particularly during the crackdown that followed a failed coup in July 2016.