Foreign Ministers of Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) started on Wednesday evening their preparatory meeting for the 14th Ordinary Islamic Summit under the chairmanship of Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf delivered a speech in which he said that our Islamic world is undergoing extremely dangerous challenges and changes, including the interference in the internal affairs of Islamic countries, the increasing numbers of refugees and displaced people, and the spreading of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism, which require a serious stand to study their dimensions and implications from all sides and adopt the best possible ways to face and deal with them through a unified position and efforts. He added that the conflict with Israel remains the most important challenge facing the Islamic Nation, emphasizing that the Palestinian cause is the first issue of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in particular the regaining of Palestinian people's full legitimate rights and the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem (Al-Quds) as its capital in accordance with the resolutions of the international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative backed by the decisions of consecutive Arab and Islamic summits, and that the international community must shoulder its political and moral responsibility to achieve this. Minister Dr. Al-Assaf stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to the stability in Yemen and regrets the continuation of the coup by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias against the legitimate authority, which is a clear example of Iran's continued interference in the internal affairs of countries, which must be rejected by OIC, as it is contrary to its charter and international charters. He also affirmed the Kingdom's stand with Sudan and the support for the Transitional Military Council and the measures taken in the interest of the Sudanese people. The Minister of Foreign Affairs added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands with every sincere effort to find a political solution that will preserve the unity and institutions of Syria and end the presence of sectarian terrorist groups, based on the Geneva outcomes, the statements of the International Syria Support Group and relevant Security Council resolutions. Regarding Libya, the Minister affirmed the Kingdom's firm position of supporting the sovereignty and unity of Libya, its territorial integrity and rejection of foreign interference, calling on all parties in Libya to unite, block and fight terrorist groups.
