Indonesia Urges Concrete Action from OIC to Confront Israel
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister, Anis Matting, stated that Indonesia is urging the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take concrete steps in facing Israel.
“The OIC must be able to build the organisation’s authority, not through condemnations and statements, but through real and sustainable action,” said Anis in a statement received in Jakarta on Sunday.
Anis Matta made these remarks while attending the 2nd Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers (KTM-LB) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday (27/8).
During the conference, he noted that Indonesia once again highlighted various acts of violence and violations of international law being carried out by Israel, including the expansion of illegal settlements, the annexation of Palestinian land, and the killing of Palestinian citizens.
Anis, who attended representing Foreign Minister Sugiono, stated that Indonesia considers the situation in the Middle East to be highly critical. According to him, the impact of the ongoing regional war has expanded far beyond the borders of the Middle East.
“The OIC must maximise its capabilities and mechanisms to demand accountability from Israel for its various crimes and to categorise the violent actions of illegal settlers as acts of terrorism,” he said.
In addition to discussing the situation in Palestine, the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting also approved Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as the Secretary-General of the OIC for the 2026-2031 period, replacing Hissein Brahim Taha of Chad. Ismail is the former foreign minister of Mauritania.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Anis also held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Sudan, Palestine, and Qatar, as well as the deputy foreign ministers of Turkey and Somalia, to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Indonesia’s participation in the meeting is a realisation of its constitutional mandate to play an active role in advancing world peace, particularly in halting the war in the Middle East, the negative impacts of which are still being felt by various countries around the world.