ShareJEDDAH: Representative of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya, said the 15th Islamic Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) takes place at a time when the Islamic world is facing formidable challenges and unprecedented turmoil. In his address to the opening session of the two-day event in Banjul, the capital of Gambia, on Saturday, Sheikh Abdullah conveyed the greetings of His Highness the Amir to the heads of state, government, and chief delegates.
“The Islamic nations are undergoing a complicated stage fraught with trans-border peril, wars, and natural disasters that no country can address alone. On top of these challenges is the occupying power’s aggression on the brotherly people of Palestine, which continues amid inaction by the UN Security Council and complete failure by the international community to stand the test of values and principles,” he regretted. “Kuwait had warned once and again against the international community’s use of double standards in addressing the Palestine question,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
Reiterating the call for finding a fair, peaceful, and comprehensive solution and deterring Zionists, the occupying power, from persisting in its criminal acts, he said, “This is the biggest and most serious challenge that requires the Islamic states coordinating their stances and doubling their efforts to put an end to the atrocities, implement the relevant UN resolutions, provide international protection for the civilian population in Palestine, and bring to book the Zionist accomplices in crimes.”
“The Palestine question will continue to be the core concern for the Arab and Muslim nations. It is high time for the world to realize that peace, security, and stability in the region are unlikely without a just, durable, and comprehensive settlement to the issue that could meet the aspirations of Palestinians and the entire Muslim nation,” Sheikh Abdullah underscored.
Dealing with the phenomenon of Islamophobia, he said the Islamic faith has been subject to a tendentious witch hunt that aims to defame its noble principles such as tolerance, peacefulness, and coexistence. “The responsibility rests with us all to protect the true image of Islam against the hostile defamation campaigns,” he urged, voicing hope that the summit would lead to consensus on how to address the current challenges. The 15th Islamic Summit, being held under the theme “Enhancing Unity and Solidarity through Dialogue for Sustainable Development,” gathered 12 heads of state and government, 31 foreign ministers and Cabinet members, and representatives of several regional and international organizations.
Islamic cooperation
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Al-Budaiwi, said the GCC member states are eager to boost Islamic collaboration. Speaking at the 15th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Al-Budaiwi said, “We are gathering today while the world is facing major accelerating challenges in light of perilous developments.” The GCC and OIC have prominent roles, as they are two active organizations to face several crises in the Middle East region and the whole world, he noted. Common challenges facing “us require joint action and cooperation to enhance the values of peace and prosperity, mainly in the Gaza Strip, which has been attacked brutally by occupation, he stated. Al-Budaiwi referred to the key outcomes of the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit hosted by Riyadh last year.
The summit resulted in the formation of a ministerial committee that moved around the world to help and save Palestinian people in Gaza through de-escalation, protecting civilians, and restoring peace efforts, he noted. The Zionists have been attacking Palestinians for over 211 days, killing so far 35,000 people, most of them children and women, he pointed out. Continued attacks by Zionists require “all of us renewing collective action to back Palestinian people and their rights,” Al-Budaiwi noted.
He underlined the importance of the OIC ministerial council’s call for holding an international conference to enhance international and regional stability and security. He urged shedding light on sustainable development and boosting cooperation in science, technology, and innovation to support sustainable development projects.
Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Taha called on the international community to live up to its due responsibility by halting the Zionist aggression. He also called for broadening the world recognition of Palestine for full United Nations (UN) membership, helping the Palestinian people regain their rights, including the return of refugees, self-determination, and an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 border with Jerusalem as its capital, based on relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Taha added that this Islamic summit comes amid serious and unprecedented developments pertinent to the Palestinian cause, chiefly the Zionist aggression on the population of the Gaza Strip and acts that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity as per international humanitarian law and relevant UN resolutions. The OIC chief underlined that dialogue and reconciliation are the only ways to resolve the issues and causes of some OIC member states, including Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and the Sahel region.
However, Taha spoke highly of existing cooperation between the OIC and the UN and its agencies, along with other international and regional partners, reiterating his willingness to promote dialogue and cooperation to serve common interests and contribute to bolstering peace and understanding worldwide. The 15th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation kicked off its 15th session at the top level in the Gambian capital Banjul earlier on Saturday, with the participation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s Representative, Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya.
The OIC summit is expected to conclude with a statement expressing its stand on the issues on the agenda, namely the Palestinian cause and the Jerusalem issue. Earlier, the OIC members’ foreign ministers held a meeting discussing the session papers and the anticipated final communiqué of the summit. — KUNA
