Indonesia calls for D-8 unity to defend Palestine, Lebanon

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto emphasized that members of the Developing 8 (D-8) must not be divided and maintain unity to defend the independence of Palestine and peace in Lebanon.

"We must work to have close cooperation between us. We must work to have one voice and not to be divided," he stated at the session on Palestine and Lebanon at the 11th Summit of the D-8 in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday, monitored online here.

He noted that though Muslims constitute 25 percent of the global population, support for the sovereignty of Palestine and Lebanon had yet to be reached due to divisions among Muslims.

"We see Sudan, Muslim leader against Muslim leader; we see Libya, Muslim leader against Muslim leader; we see Yemen, Muslim leader against Muslim leader. When will this end?" he stressed.

Prabowo also assessed that current efforts by nations have fallen short in providing adequate support to disadvantaged countries.

Support to maintain the sovereignty of the two countries that also have a Muslim majority population is considered to be still limited to declarations at various global events.

Although many have sent humanitarian aid to the two countries, the unity of all Muslim-majority countries is deemed essential so that the message of independence for Palestine and the resolution of the conflict in Lebanon can resonate globally and be achieved immediately.

"I call for unity. I call for cooperation," he emphasized.

Established in 1997, the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation comprises eight countries that are also members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC): Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Türkiye.

At the 11th Summit of the D-8, President Prabowo was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arif Havas, and Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Lutfi Rauf.