Ali Bagheri Kani, who is in Turkey to attend an extraordinary of summit of D-8, an economic bloc of eight developing economies, in an article entitled “D-8 Organization and Growing Concern about the Gaza Crisis” highlighted the crimes committed by the Zionist regime and the importance of the D-8 organization in supporting the Palestinian people. The top Iranian diplomat's opinion was published by the Turkish Milliyet newspaper
The text of the article is as follows:
The tragic human tragedy in Gaza hurts every person who have a conscience. The people, who have been subjected to all kinds of oppression by the occupying regime, have experienced unprecedented attacks over the last 8 months. During this period, more than 36,000 people are martyred, 82,000 injured and tens of thousands remain unaccounted for in Gaza. More than 2 million civilians have been displaced and become homeless. The occupying regime has been committing a full-scale genocide in front of the horrified eyes of the international community, and has no qualms about committing the most heinous crimes.
Unfortunately, the international system has failed to take effective measures to end these heinous crimes. The occupying regime, with its policy of collective punishment, is pursuing the ominous and dangerous goals of social collapse in Gaza. The continuation of the Zionist regime's crimes has been made possible with the support of Western countries, especially the United States.
Over the past eight months, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been one of the loudest voices against the Zionist regime's bloodshed against the oppressed people of Palestine and has tried to stop this invasion and genocide as soon as possible. We are aware of our responsibility as a member of the international community, the United Nations and the Islamic world, and we have and will use every opportunity and way to help Gaza.
Based on this, we welcome the initiative of the Economic Cooperation Organization of Eight Developing Countries (D-8) in holding an extraordinary meeting of Foreign Ministers, and we attend the Istanbul meeting at the invitation of Mr. Hakan Fidan, Honorable Foreign Minister of the Republic of Turkiye. The emergency meeting of D-8 is the second in the last eight months. The previous meeting in Dhaka, only two weeks after the start of the Zionist regime's attacks on Gaza, based on the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a joint statement was then issued in support and solidarity with the Palestinian people that also urged the international community to help stop the onslaught and send humanitarian aid to Gaza.
I hope that the Istanbul meeting will be useful in reaching agreements in support of the cause of Palestine and the oppressed people of Gaza. It is necessary for the D-8 members to take practical and multilateral steps with the aim of alleviating the suffering of the defenseless people in Gaza, and with an Islamic multilateral economic cooperation mechanism, they should also seriously reflect on how this organization can help stop the genocidal attacks and rebuild Gaza.
Stopping the Zionist attacks on civilians by exerting diplomatic, political, economic and legal pressures, immediate humanitarian aid deliveries to all the people of Gaza, opening of border crossings, preventing forced displacement, providing conditions for the return of displaced ones, rebuilding Gaza after the withdrawal of the occupying forces and dealing with gross violations of international law and international humanitarian law by the occupying forces are among the priorities.
Utmost, the roots of the current violence, i.e. the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands by the Zionist regime and their annexation, should be addressed. The right of the Palestinian people in determining their own destiny has been ignored, and therefore, there will be no possibility of sustainable peace without the accomplishment of their rights and the restoration of justice.
The D-8 Organization with more than one-billion population and nearly 4.5% of the world's GDP can play an effective role in this regard. The Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the active D-8 members and at the helm of joint initiatives and activities, will actively present its initiatives in this extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers in Istanbul as well.
Undoubtedly, the activation of D-8 capacities can lead to the comprehensive expansion of relations and strengthening of ties among member states, including the two great nations of Iran and Turkiye. These are the two important countries that remain deeply and firmly connected with historical and cultural commonalities, and today both are at the forefront of defending the rights of the Palestinian nation.
Ali Bagheri Kani
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran
MP/IRN
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