Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister discusses Gaza developments with his Palestinian counterpart
His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Engineer Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, met today in Jeddah with Her Excellency the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, Dr. Varsine Aghabekian Shahin. This important meeting took place on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Meeting of the Open-Ended Executive Committee at the level of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
During the meeting, the fraternal bilateral relations between the two countries and their peoples were reviewed, in addition to discussing the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and its surrounding areas. The two sides discussed efforts to halt the military escalation and ways to intensify joint diplomatic efforts to protect unarmed civilians and ensure the urgent and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid to those affected in the Strip.
The importance of the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
This bilateral meeting comes at a highly sensitive time, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosts the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the grave developments resulting from the ongoing Israeli aggression. This meeting reflects the Kingdom's leading role in guiding Islamic and Arab diplomatic efforts to confront the challenges facing the region and to unify ranks in taking firm stances against the continued violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Saudi Arabia's role in supporting the Palestinian cause
These discussions reaffirm the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's firm and unwavering stance on the Palestinian issue, which is based on supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Saudi diplomacy is working tirelessly, through bilateral channels and international forums, to press for an immediate ceasefire and to hold the international community accountable for the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza.
Joint coordination to address humanitarian challenges
The two sides discussed the need to strengthen joint coordination to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where residents are suffering from severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. They emphasized the importance of supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and other international organizations to ensure the continued provision of essential services to Palestinians, and rejected any attempts to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip or to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
The meeting was attended by the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs branch in the Makkah region, Mr. Farid bin Saad Al-Shehri, and a number of officials from both sides, reflecting the great interest that the leadership in both countries attaches to strengthening the bonds of cooperation and continuous consultation on all issues of common interest.
