ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi contacted Saudi ForeignMinister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and Palestinian ForeignMinister, Dr. Riyad Al Maliki on Friday, to discuss the grave situation inPalestine amid Israeli attack.
In conversation with Saudi FM, Qureshi expressed Pakistan’s seriousconcerns on the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and grave human rightsviolations. He condemned the continued attacks by the Israeli DefenceForces against the Palestinians, in particular innocent civilians andchildren, adding that the Israeli acts defied all norms of humanity andinternational law.
Foreign Minister Qureshi recalled the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Joint Statementissued during the recent visit of the Prime Minister to the Kingdom, on 8May 2021, which, inter alia, included the two countries’ shared perspectiveon the Palestinian issue. The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s fullsupport for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especiallytheir right to self-determination and establishment of their independentstate with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, inaccordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.
The Saudi Foreign Minister expressed concerns at the serious developmentsin Palestine and briefed Foreign Minister Qureshi regarding the initiativesbeing taken to address the situation.
Foreign Minister Qureshi welcomed the initiative of the Kingdom of SaudiArabia to convene an Emergency Meeting of the OIC’s Executive Committee atForeign Ministers level on 16 May 2021. The Foreign Minister assured theSaudi Foreign Minister of Pakistan’s unequivocal support for the just causeof Palestine.
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Expressing gratitude for the warm Saudi hospitality during the PrimeMinister’s recently concluded visit, Foreign Minister Qureshi apprised hiscounterpart of the post-visit telephone call between Prime Minister ImranKhan and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Salman binAbdul Aziz, during which the two leaders also conferred on the serioussituation in Palestine and the need for urgent steps to address it.
The two Foreign Ministers agreed to continue close consultations andcoordination on the evolving situation in Palestine.
