H. E. Mr. Nabil Fahmy and OIC Secretary-General discuss regional escalation and preparations for the joint ministerial meeting on Jerusalem

His Excellency Mr Nabil Fahmy, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, met on 21 September with Mr Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on the sidelines of the high-level meetings of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Mr Fahmy congratulated Mr Ould Cheikh Ahmed on assuming his new post and wished him success in leading the OIC.

The meeting focused on the Palestinian cause, with the two sides discussing the continuing humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip and the escalation of Israeli violations in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, which are undermining prospects for achieving peace.

Mr Fahmy stressed the need to intensify joint Arab and Islamic action at the international level to ensure Israel’s compliance with international law, and to build on the growing number of international recognitions of the State of Palestine, with a view to ending the occupation and realising an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The two sides also discussed preparations for the joint ministerial meeting of the League of Arab States and the OIC on Jerusalem, scheduled to be held in New York on 25 September.

The meeting will seek to strengthen joint efforts in defence of the holy city, its identity, and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and reaffirm the rejection of any measures aimed at altering its legal and historical status.

They also reviewed developments concerning a number of issues of common interest.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Fahmy emphasised the importance of strengthening the existing cooperation and coordination between the two organisations, with a view to harmonising Arab and Islamic positions in international forums and advancing their shared interests.