Riyadh: At the behest of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, headed the Sultanate of Oman's delegation that took part in the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, in the presence of monarchs, country leaders and heads of delegations.
During the summit, Sayyid Badr conveyed the greetings of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the monarchs, country leaders and heads of delegations, along with His Majesty the Sultan’s sincere wishes for the summit’s success.
Sayyid Badr said in his speech that the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon is getting worse due to the persistent Israeli aggression that left a large number of people dead or deprived of the most basic rights to life.
Sayyid Badr added that the scenes of bombardment, destruction and genocide that target residential neighbourhoods, health and educational facilities and infrastructure go beyond all standards of humanity. These scenes call for joint action to open up unrestricted corridors to ease the delivery of highly needed relief aid.
Sayyid Badr stressed that the Sultanate of Oman is strongly committed to its position calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for the termination of Israel's hostile operations in Lebanon. He underlined the need to conduct an independent international investigation into these repeated violations because, he noted, “justice is the basis of peace and accountability is the only way to end this ongoing suffering".
Sayyid Badr explained that the tragic situation in Palestine and in Lebanon expanded into a dangerous escalation in other areas in the Middle East, noting that this situation threatens regional stability as a whole.
The minister pointed out that the only way to achieve stability in the region is to develop a comprehensive vision based on truth and justice.
Sayyid Badr also voiced the Sultanate of Oman’s steadfast support to the initiative launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about the formation of an international coalition to achieve the Two-State Solution. He stressed the importance of taking practical steps to achieve this goal, adding that the first step is to realize the international community's recognition of the Palestinian State. In this context, the minister valued the positions of countries that took the initiative to recognize the Palestinian State. He also urged other countries to join this move to consolidate the right to achieve this long-awaited justice.
At the conclusion of his speech, Sayyid Badr reiterated the fact that justice for the Palestinian cause requires a sincere, unified will and concrete action. He prayed to the Almighty Allah to grant success to all those who undertake noble initiatives. He also prayed to the Almighty to help the Arab and Islamic nation to support justice and establish peace.
Oman’s delegation to the summit included HH Sayyid Faisal bin Turki al Said, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—Oman’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Abdullah bin Nasser al Rahbi, the Sultanate of Oman’s Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt and its Permanent Representative to the Arab League and Shaikh Faisal bin Omar al Marhoon, Head of the Arab Department at the Foreign Ministry, among other officials.
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