The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, Dr. Abdulla Khaleel, has concluded his visit to Istanbul, Turkey, where he participated in the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In his address to the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, Dr. Khaleel emphasized the importance of strengthening the OIC and enhancing cooperation among member states to address challenges facing the Islamic Ummah and to establish peace and justice.
Referring to the situation in Palestine, he condemned and expressed concern over Israel’s continuous aggression against the people of Gaza and Palestine. He also reaffirmed the Maldives’ unwavering policy on the Palestinian issue, which supports the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Dr. Khaleel stressed that recognizing Palestine as an independent state is crucial for establishing peace and justice in the Middle East and called for increased cooperation among all OIC countries to achieve this goal. In his speech, he also condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran and called for the enforcement of international law against Israel. The Maldivian delegation also participated in a special session held to discuss Israel’s attacks on Iran.
On the sidelines of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, Dr. Khaleel met with the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan. During this meeting, they discussed ways to strengthen relations within the OIC framework and explore areas of cooperation between the two countries.
The Council of Foreign Ministers meeting is an annual gathering where foreign ministers of OIC countries come together to discuss and find solutions to important issues facing the Islamic Ummah. Accompanying Dr. Khaleel on this trip were Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the OIC; Lieutenant General (Rtd) Abdurrahim Abdul Latheef, Ambassador of the Maldives to Turkey; Director Fathimath Razana; and Aishath Raihana, Counsellor at the Maldives Embassy in Turkey.
