September 23, 2023
At the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, described the Jammu and Kashmir conflict as a “pressing challenge” to the security and stability of the region. The remarks were made during a meeting of the Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in New York on September 20.
Prince Faisal expressed the Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to mediating between the parties involved in the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, offering Saudi Arabia’s services in pursuit of a peaceful resolution. He emphasized Saudi Arabia’s support for “Muslim peoples in their efforts to maintain their Islamic identity and preserve their dignity.”
“Such efforts are in line with Saudi Arabia’s unwavering stance in support of Islamic peoples,” he stated, as reported by the Saudi-based newspaper Arab News.
However, it’s worth noting that New Delhi has consistently rejected international mediation on the Kashmir issue, maintaining that it is a bilateral matter that should be resolved between India and Pakistan.
Prince Faisal’s comments came shortly after India and Saudi Arabia signed eight agreements for cooperation across various sectors, including investment, digitization, and saltwater desalination. This collaborative effort follows a state visit to India by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, after the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 11.
During the G20 summit, India, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the European Union unveiled an ambitious plan for an economic corridor, aiming to link Indian ports to Europe through shipping and rail routes via the Gulf region, in a move seen as a potential rival to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, in a statement issued after the ministerial-level meeting, called on the international community to take “concrete steps to resolve this conflict based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions.” OIC’s secretary-general, Hissein Brahim Taha, who chaired the meeting, urged the international community to “intensify its efforts to settle the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Gilani also provided an update on the current situation in the region during the meeting, expressing gratitude for the Contact Group’s unwavering support for the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He highlighted instances of human rights violations in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region, according to the OIC statement.