The current President of the UPCI reiterated the call of parliamentarians from the Islamic world for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip in view of the seriousness of the humanitarian situation.
Speaking at the opening of the 18th UPCI Conference in Abidjan on Monday 4 March 2024, Adama Bictogo deplored the “stagnation of all efforts to resolve the conflict over the last few decades.”
He was keen to make known the position of the Ivorian President, Alassane Ouattara, who believes that “the solution to the war between Israel and Palestine lies in the creation of two states living side by side in a climate of peace.”
“The Parliament, through me, would like to subscribe to this vision of dialogue and peaceful coexistence, which remains the one and only possible way of resolving this conflict once and for all,” declared the President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire, who has been elected to head the UPCI for a one-year term.
He added that the 18th Conference gives participants the opportunity to open frank and fraternal discussions, so that “positive actions” emerge that reflect the commitment and “Unflinching solidarity” of UPCI member states towards the Palestinian cause.
“I salute all the goodwill and the brotherly States of our Union that have invested themselves in one way or another to find a solution that complies with international law,” Mr. Bictogo concluded.
This 18th UPCI Conference was preceded by a number of related meetings, in particular those of the organisation’s specialised bodies, with a simplified agenda to deal with urgent issues and to elect member states to these commissions.
The UPCI is an organisation created in June 1999 by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Tehran, Iran, where its permanent headquarters are located. Its objectives include supporting the implementation of the Islamic principle of consultation (Shura) in all member states.
The organisation also works to promote meetings and dialogue between the parliaments of OIC member states and their deputies, as well as the sharing of experiences in the parliamentary field and debate on economic, cultural, social and political issues.
AP/fss/abj/APA