Indonesian Foreign Minister: OKI Summit Encourages Ceasefire In Palestine

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister (Menlu) Retno Marsudi said the 15th Summit of Islamic Cooperation Organizations (OIC) in Gambia was pushing for efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Palestine.

"The ongoing negotiations are expected to produce good results, including the creation of a ceasefire," said the Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the OKI Summit which was held on May 4-5 in Gambia, reported by ANTARA, Monday, May 6.

Foreign Minister Retno said, on the sidelines of the summit, she had held many meetings and discussions with many parties, including the Secretary General of the OIC; Advisor of the President of Palestine, who is a former Palestinian Foreign Minister; Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister; Egyptian Foreign Minister; and Iranian Foreign Minister.

Foreign Minister Retno also met and discussed with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister; Tunisian Foreign Minister; Gambia Foreign Minister; Morocco's Foreign Minister; Malaysian Foreign Minister; Brunei Darussalam, and Ugandan Deputy Prime Minister.

He said nearly all meetings discussed the Palestinian issue, focusing on ongoing negotiations that were expected to produce good results, including the creation of a ceasefire.

Retno also encouraged joint efforts with other countries to recognize Palestine as a country. "We must continue to work together to encourage other countries to recognize Palestine," he said.

Foreign Minister Retno also pushed for full Palestinian membership at the United Nations, efforts to intensify humanitarian aid, and highlighted many concerns about Israel's plans to attack Raffah.

"This plan is strongly criticized by all OIC countries," he said.

Meanwhile, in addition to attending the 15th OIC Summit, Foreign Minister Retno's visit to Banjul, Gambia, was also to hold a meeting with the country's foreign minister to sign a Visa Free Agreement for Diplomatic and Official Passport holders.