The Islamic world must unite firmly against Israeli actions in Palestine, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on Tuesday. He made the remarks while chairing the closing session of the 42nd Ministerial Meeting of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation at the Istanbul Congress Center.
Despite the declaration of a ceasefire, the Netanyahu administration continues massacres on flimsy pretexts at every opportunity, Yilmaz told delegates. He added that the failure to transition to the next phase of the truce and the obstruction of humanitarian aid increase the suffering of Palestinian brothers day by day.
As the Islamic world, nations must stand most strongly against this oppression, Yilmaz stated. He urged the bloc to support Palestine, especially Gaza, with all available means through concrete steps.
The shared determination demonstrated during the meetings confirmed the collective will to overcome geopolitical tensions and conflicts across the Islamic world through diplomacy, according to the Turkish vice president.
Yilmaz pointed to COMCEC’s dedicated Al-Quds Program as a real reflection of solidarity. He noted that 10 new projects were launched this year in addition to 28 previously completed projects to support Palestinians.
He also welcomed progress under the COMCEC Syria Program. Implemented this year, the initiative aims to strengthen human and institutional capacity while revitalizing economic activity through five active projects.
Turning to economic cooperation, Yilmaz reiterated the Organization of Islamic Cooperation target to increase intra-bloc trade to 25 percent. He stressed the importance of expanding the scope and membership of the Trade Preferential System among OIC member states.
Supporting the mechanism with services, investments, digital trade and trade facilitation will accelerate cooperation, Yilmaz said. He noted that this year’s ministerial exchange session focused on developing effective trade finance instruments to boost exports, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.
On the sidelines of the summit, 24 countries and 12 international organizations conducted 62 bilateral meetings, Yilmaz announced. He added that next year’s ministerial exchange session will focus on utilizing Islamic finance instruments to ensure food security.
