Lausanne, Switzerland, Nov 24 (IANS): International Boxing Association (AIBA) president Umar Kremlev on Wednesday met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss boxing development and AIBA's support of the country's athletes.

Palestine has been an active participant in recent AIBA competitions, notably this year's Asian Boxing Championships in the UAE and the AIBA Men's World Boxing Championships in Belgrade.

AIBA provided financial assistance to ensure the Palestinian athletes were able to attend and perform to the best of their ability. In his discussions with President Mahmoud Abbas, Kremlev shared that this is part of a long-term development strategy for boxing in Palestine.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the President of AIBA for supporting Palestinian boxing. Our country was going through difficult times, the development of sports in general and boxing in particular did not proceed at the highest rates, but now we are paying great attention to this area.

"We will be happy to assist the creation of a boxing academy in Palestine and the implementation of the program for introducing the discipline of "boxing" into the curriculum of schools and higher educational institutions. I hope our cooperation with AIBA will be fruitful and long-term," Mahmoud said in a statement on Wednesday.

"AIBA is committed to developing boxing in Palestine. I am delighted to have met with the President to discuss how that can be achieved," said Kremlev.

"Boxing is a universal sport and everyone should have equal access to participating in it and honing their skills. Palestinain boxers have shown a lot of talent, and as the international governing for the sport it is our duty to ensure they have the opportunity to fulfil their potential."