REPUBLIKA.CO JAKARTA -- Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her Mauritanian counterpart Isselkou Ould Ahmed Izid Bih, in a bilateral talks hoped that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will solve the Palestinian issue.

The two foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the Fifth Extraordinary Summit of the OIC at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) here on Sunday.

The Indonesian foreign minister said that the OIC extraordinary summit is being held in Indonesia as part of Indonesia's and OIC's full support and solidarity to Palestine.

Retno said the Indonesian government also hoped that the extraordinary summit of the OIC would help foster the unity of the OIC member countries.

On the occasion, Minister Retno also stated that Indonesia would always support new initiatives that would encourage the creation of world peace.

Regarding bilateral relations, the Indonesian government hoped that the Indonesia-Mauritania bilateral ties would continue to be stepped up. The two countries are expected to further explore economic potential that could be exploited together.

The Indonesian foreign minister also hoped that Mauritania would get to know Indonesia's flagship commodities and products, particularly crude palm oil (CPO), textile, consumer products and electric devices.

Retno also told her Mauritanian counterpart that Indonesia was ready to provide technical assistance on capacity building and people relations of both nations.

The two ministers met for the last time on September 25, 2013 on the sidelines of the 68th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Indonesia and Mauritania officially established diplomatic relations on September 27, 2011.

In the meantime, an Indonesian Member of Parliament said the 5th Extraordinary Summit of the OIC would be very important to save Palestine and Jerusalem.

"The situation in Palestine is becoming more uncertain. This is what would make the OIC Conference very important with regard to saving Palestine and Al Quds Al Sharif (the holy city of Jerusalem)," Mahfudz Siddiq, the chairman of Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) said in a press release received here Saturday.

The summit, scheduled on March 6-7, would bring the issue of Palestine back on to the surface again after it had been neglected for the past few years, he said.

"For the past three years the issue of Palestine seems to have been sidelined. The 5th OIC Extraordinary Summit is being held in the midst of concerns over the developments in Palestine," he said.

There were several reasons for the Palestine issue being ignored, an example being the new conflicts in the Middle East, Mahfudz Siddiq said.

The conflicts in the Middle East have been dominated by issues of the ISIS, Shiah-Sunni and Syrian conflicts.

"The cost of the conflicts and battles borne by countries in the Middle East and surrounding countries has brought the flow of assistance to Palestine almost to a total halt," he said.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika