NEW YORK: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar called for urgent international action to end the suffering in Gaza and advance an irreversible political process leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Dar made the remarks while participating in and delivering Pakistan’s statement at a high-level international meeting on the two-state solution, titled “The Road Ahead: One Year After the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive 20-point Peace Plan,” held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting was convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Opening statements were delivered by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The meeting was attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas via video, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
European Council President António Costa, High Representative for Gaza of the Board of Peace Nickolay Mladenov, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also participated in the meeting.
In Pakistan’s statement, Dar underscored the urgency of ending the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and ensuring the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance.
He also called for progress towards an irreversible political process aimed at establishing an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.