Palestinian Independence is Main Responsibilities of OIC: Turkey

Ankara, MINA – Turkish government said it would reject any peace agreement that does not include Palestinian independence. Ankara considers it is important for member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to unite and fight for this.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the solidarity of OIC member countries in fighting for the establishment of Palestinian state is more urgent than before. “This is the responsibility that is our main responsibility,” he said on the Anadolu Agency, Thursday.

“I am therefore convinced that any peace agreement that does not consider establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital city will definitely be rejected by OIC community,” Cavusoglu said.

Cavusoglu’s statement came after the United States (US) planned to hold an economic conference titled “Peace for Prosperity” in Bahrain on June 25-26. The US is reported to release first part of Middle East peace plan, including Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In Israel-Palestina conflict, the US is said to offer economic solutions by encouraging investment flows for the West Bank and Gaza Strip which are smothered in a humanitarian crisis.

The conference in Bahrain is expected to be attended by 300-400 representatives and business executives from Europe, Middle East, and Asia. Some Palestinian business leaders are also expected to attend the event.

Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and G7 member countries, are likely to participate in sending delegations to the Bahrain conference. But it is not yet known whether the delegation will be headed by the finance ministers of each country or not.

Palestinian Authority itself has stated that it will not send envoys to the conference. They had never been invited to negotiate and consulted by the US or other Middle Eastern countries regarding the event.

Nevertheless, Palestine insists it will reject any solution that does not include its political demands, namely the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. These demands cannot be negotiated through economic solutions planned by the US. (T/Sj/R04)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)