RIYADH: The ministerial committee assigned by the extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit held an official meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday.
The joint Islamic-Arab summit was held in Riyadh on Nov. 11, and members of the committee who participated in Tuesday’s meeting included the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, and Indonesia, and the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Lavrov praised the efforts made by the committee toward achieving a long-standing ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
He said Russia supported efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in accordance with resolutions issued by the United Nations, the Cairo peace summit, and the extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit in Riyadh.
The minister expressed his country’s condemnation of the collective punishment meted out against civilians in the Gaza Strip and said it was a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
He highlighted the importance of moving toward stopping all violations of international laws and introducing more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to avoid an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
The minister said Russia supported the launching of a comprehensive peace process in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and the 2002 Arab Initiative with the aim of achieving the two-state solution.
The members of the committee said United Nations Security Council members and the international community should take effective and urgent measures to achieve an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, stressing that this is a priority for all Arab and Muslim countries.
The committee pointed out the importance of lifting the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip immediately, releasing prisoners and hostages, and reactivating a serious and just peace process that enjoys the support of legitimate international authorities.
The members of the committee called on the international community to fulfil its responsibility by not turning a blind eye to Israeli crimes against unarmed Palestinian civilians, and Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
The committee pointed out that continued Israeli violations of international law and non-compliance with international legitimacy resolutions weaken the legitimacy of the international system, the credibility of its defenders, and its ability to maintain peace, security, and regional stability in the future while fuelling extremism and violence.
It also stressed the importance of allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid, food, water, fuel, and electricity to Gaza immediately, and said this is a moral and legal responsibility of the entire international community.
The committee said depriving the people of Gaza of the basic requirements of life is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and goes against human values and principles.
