Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov addressed the joint Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the League of Arab States (LAS) on November 11 in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
“The unprecedented and disastrous situation in the Gaza Strip is causing a sense of sadness and distress in each of us, as many people are being killed and injured as a result of these terrible events, especially the helpless and small children, even infants,” he said.
He underscored that this confrontation is unprecedented in scale and destruction and is being observed for the first time in the 50-year history of the conflict in the Middle East.
“The saddest thing is that there is no end in sight to this crisis. We cannot remain silent about the conflict that is taking place in Palestine. Uzbekistan is taking appropriate diplomatic measures in this regard. In particular, on behalf of the respected President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, financial assistance was provided to the population in the Gaza Strip through the UN Agency for Assistance to Palestine Refugees and Organization of Work in the Near East,” Aripov said.
Earlier, Uzbekistan supported the UN General Assembly resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza. At a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States in Tashkent, Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke in favor of applying the principle of “two states for two peoples.”
“The loss of life resulting from the bloody clashes in the Gaza Strip cannot be compensated for. We consider the killing of babies to be an injustice that cannot be accepted in any way. We sincerely sympathize and express our condolences to the family members and relatives of those killed as a result of the armed conflict. We strictly declare that we are together with the Palestinian people,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
He supported Palestine's right to establish its own independent state in accordance with UN and Organization of Islamic Cooperation resolutions.
“We also call on all members of the organization to use all resources to ensure the integrity of the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and other sacred sites in Quddus Sharif. Further escalation of violence is fraught with large-scale destabilization of the international situation and the involvement of new forces in armed confrontation. All this can lead to difficult to predict, tragic consequences that go far beyond the Middle East region,” he said.
The prime minister added that the situation could lead to conflicts between religions, civilizations and cultures, which should not be allowed. He called on the parties to stop hostilities and reach a truce through diplomatic means.
