Speech delivered by the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad, and African Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Attaf, during his participation in Istanbul at the 51st Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, hosted by the sisterly Republic of Turkey.

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

This regular session of ours is being held under international and regional circumstances that are, to say the least, extraordinary. The circumstances are critical, indeed tragic:

International laws have been completely ignored, including the United Nations Charter itself.

The scales of civilized international interaction have been disrupted, and the logic of force no longer has any limits or boundaries.

Basic concepts have been confused, to the point that we hear of those advocating for the aggressor's right to self-defense and retaliation against the victim.

The tendency toward absolute hegemony has prompted the aggressor to openly declare his intention to reorder the Middle East, and even the entire international system.

This is the current situation in the Middle East, which is experiencing horrors unprecedented in their severity, scope, and repercussions:

Today, there is an Israeli aggression against Iran and an open war on all possibilities, threatening the region with catastrophes of various types and dimensions, with unforeseen consequences.

And recently, there were repeated and systematic Israeli attacks on Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen—attacks that continue to this very day.

And today, as yesterday, the Israeli occupier refuses to lay down the burdens of the war it has been imposing on the Palestinian people in Gaza for nearly two years.

All our brothers are most sincere in their solidarity and mutual support as they endure the occupier's insistence on pursuing its illusions of ensuring security and stability for its entity at the expense of the security and stability of others.

What kind of security is this that the Israeli occupation is monopolizing? What kind of security is this that is built on the violation of the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of all countries in the region without accountability or oversight?

What kind of security is this that is based on the pursuit of absolute hegemony over others, as well as the violation of all the rules of international law and all the principles of the UN Charter?

We are undoubtedly facing a critical stage in the history of this region and the history of the international system as a whole. This stage requires reconsidering the issue of security in the Middle East in its comprehensive dimensions and on its fundamental foundations, which do not accept the prioritization of the interests of one party over those of all others, nor the exemption of a particular party from its obligations and their imposition on all others, nor the tolerance and leniency with one party while the restrictions and oppression of all others.

Security and peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without addressing the core of the conflict in the region, which is the Palestinian issue. What is required here is to end the occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories and to expedite the creation of the necessary conditions for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Security and peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without everyone adhering to the rules of international law on an equal footing. What is required here is a definitive end to the special regime of the Israeli occupation, a regime based on impunity, impunity, and impunity.

Security and peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without abandoning the logic of force, the method of hegemony, and the policy of fait accompli. What is required here is adherence to the rules and regulations established by international legitimacy, from which no one, inside or outside the region, should be exempt. These are the irrefutable facts. These are the firm principles that cannot be ignored or obscured by the smoke of fabricated conflicts and artificial wars. These are the essential, indispensable conditions for achieving a just, lasting, and final peace in the entire Middle East. Thank you, Mr. President.