Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry stressed that there is no solution to the Palestinian issue without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and therefore Egypt rejects any unilateral measures that undermine a two-state solution. Addressing the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Islamabad on Tuesday, Shoukry said Egypt affirms its commitment to active and constructive participation under the umbrella of the OIC for the protection of Islamic, Arab, and African interests. He affirmed Egypt's aspiration to find a peaceful national solution in Libya, and the need to hold presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously with the exit of all foreign forces and mercenaries without exception and within a specific time frame. The FM also stressed Egypt's keenness to stabilise the political and security situation in brotherly Sudan and to reach a Sudanese consensus towards the management of the transitional period without external dictates. With regard to Syria, Shoukry said that Egypt is keen to promote the political process in Syria under the umbrella of the United Nations in accordance with Resolution 2,254. As for Iraq, the FM noted Egypt's keenness on the importance of preserving Iraq's unity, stability, and sovereignty. He praised Iraq's efforts in combating terrorism and stressed the need to stop foreign interference in its affairs. Shoukry added that Egypt also looks forward to finding a political solution to the Yemeni crisis in accordance with the terms of reference of the Gulf initiative, international legitimacy resolutions, and the outputs of national dialogue. Moreover, he reiterated Egypt's condemnation of terrorist attacks from Yemen's Houthi militias that target the security of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Egypt also welcomes the holding of legislative elections in Somalia and urges all Somali parties to cooperate in that regard. Additionally, the FM noted that the OIC is currently facing the challenge of increasing Islamophobia. "We welcome the adoption by the UN General Assembly on March 15 of the resolution submitted by the OIC on combating Islamophobia, on which joint action should be continued," Shoukry said. He stressed that addressing the current challenges requires all to seriously consider the need to review and reform the work of the secretariat, develop its working mechanisms to keep pace with the realities of the modern era, and unite the visions of member states to achieve their common interest and reject any attempt to employ the organisation for narrow interests. For his part, Secretary-General of the OIC Hussein Ibrahim Taha stressed the need for concerted efforts by all OIC member states to face the various challenges currently facing the Islamic world. Speaking at the opening session of the CFM, Ibrahim called for joint efforts to achieve the collective goals of the OIC. He also condemned the violations of the Israeli authorities in Palestine, saying that Israeli actions are a flagrant violation of international laws and UN resolutions for the peaceful settlement of the issue, which stipulate protecting the right of Palestinians to life and land.
