Baku says efforts on aid to Palestinian people important for Islamic world (UPDATE 2)
By Nigar Orujova
Initiatives for assisting the Palestinian people have a great importance not only for the Palestinian people, but also for the whole Muslim world, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at an international conference for assistance to the Palestinian state in Baku on June 11.
The Azerbaijani capital is hosting the founding conference of the Islamic Financial Security Network for assistance to the Palestinian state and a donor conference for supporting the development of the city of Al-Quds.
Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan supports and will continue supporting Palestine.
"We believe that in the coming years, Palestine will become a full-fledged member of the UN," he added.
The conference in Baku will positively affect the development process of Al-Quds, and Azerbaijan undertook the responsibility of organizing an international conference on the issue, Mammadyarov said.
According to Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the purpose of the Baku conference is displaying the support of the Islamic world for the people of Palestine.
"We condemn the policy of Israel against Palestine," Ihsanoglu said at the conference.
According to him, the main objective of the conference is to draw attention to the fact that tens of thousands of Palestinian children have no access to education, the city's public health sector is in deplorable condition, and the population of Al-Quds faces problems with medical care.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the conference that Azerbaijan and Turkey attach critical importance to the Palestinian problem.
Davutoglu said Turkey rejoices at Azerbaijan's successes in the international arena. "Holding this conference in Azerbaijan, which discusses the most important problem of the Islamic world - the Palestinian problem - has great importance," he said.
According to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, Al-Quds is faced with major problems that are artificially created by Israel.
"Israel violates the principles of international law, the occupation of Palestinian land runs counter to all international principles," he added.
According to him, the unity of the Palestinian land is under a threat.
"East Al-Quds is still under occupation, the Israeli government illegally attracts foreign companies to work in the occupied Palestinian territories," he said.
"Today Palestine is under occupation, and the world is silent about it, but this should not be like that," Al-Maliki said.
The conference was joined by representatives of several international organizations, including the OIC, ISESCO, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, and the Islamic Development Bank. The event was also attended by representatives of the OIC member countries including foreign ministers, as well as heads and members of diplomatic missions accredited in Baku.