ISLAMABAD: Pakistani deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, will call for full implementation of Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza at a meeting of Arab-Islamic foreign ministers in Istanbul on Monday, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan this week said that the Istanbul meeting would discuss the US peace plan for Gaza and “what we can achieve together in the next stage.”
Ministers from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which met President Donald Trump on Sept. 23, have all been invited to the meeting.
On the invitation of the Turkish foreign minister, Dar will undertake a one-day visit to Istanbul on Monday to attend the coordination meeting of the Arab-Islamic FMs.
“Pakistan will emphasize the need for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the complete Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially Gaza, as well as the provision of unfettered humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians and the reconstruction of Gaza,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“Pakistan will also reiterate the need for collective efforts aimed at achieving an independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
Turkish FM Fidan said on Friday there were a number of issues that needed to be addressed at the meeting.
“What are the obstacles to its (ceasefire) implementation? What are the challenges to be faced? What are the next steps? What will we be discussing with our Western friends? And what support is there for the ongoing talks with the United States?” he said.
Fidan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “looking for a pretext to violate the ceasefire [in Gaza] and relaunch the genocide under the eyes of the whole world.”
The statement came after Israel launched strikes on Gaza and killed several people this week in the latest test of the fragile ceasefire deal brokered by President Trump.
The US-backed ceasefire agreement went into effect on October 10, halting two years of war that was triggered by deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and that has devastated the narrow coastal strip.
Pakistan reassured its support for all efforts to restore peace in Gaza.
“Pakistan has been, and will continue to be, committed to efforts to restore peace, justice, and dignity to the Palestinian people, as well as to ensure the realization of their right to self-determination,” its foreign ministry added.
