Dhaka condemns Israeli atrocities, expresses solidarity with Palestinians

Bangladesh on Friday conveyed that its people and government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina strongly condemn and fully reject Israeli atrocities.

Bangladesh also deplored the US relocation of the embassy, and expressed full support, sympathy, and solidarity with Palestinian brothers and sisters in their legitimate cause of an independent, viable, and contiguous state of Palestine under a two-state solution.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, who is leading a seven-member Bangladesh delegation, conveyed Bangladesh's position at the Seventh Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

The summit focused on the massacre by Israeli forces of peaceful Palestinian civilian protesters as well as on the official opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem on May 14.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan convened the summit in his capacity as chair of the OIC Summit.

Ali participated as chair of the 45th Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC, said the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka.

The Bangladesh delegation includes Defence and Security Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister, Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the OIC, Ambassador Golam Moshi, Bangladesh Ambassador to Turkey, M Allama Siddiki, and other senior officials of the Foreign Ministry and Bangladesh missions.

Ali began his busy day by attending the Council of Foreign Ministers, preparatory to the summit, while Tarique led the Bangladesh delegation at the council meeting.

The council was preceded by the Senior Official Meeting (SOM) on Thursday that prepared the draft Final Communiqué, and the Bangladesh delegation to the SOM was led by AFM Gousal Azam Sarker, director general of the Foreign Ministry.

The council has reached consensus on the Final Communiqué for adoption by the summit Friday night.