Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar has solicited France’s support to end the humanitarian crisis caused by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The Minister’s appeal was conveyed in a collective request by foreign ministers of Nigeria, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, and the Secretary General of the Arab League during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
The Nigerian minister and his counterparts followed their appeal to the French President with a meeting with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
Tuggar again lamented the disproportionate use of violence against innocent civilians and the need to swiftly find a lasting political solution that will result in a two-state solution of Israel and Palestine.
A statement on Monday by the spokesman of the minister, AlKasim AbdulKadir, said the visit was part of the ongoing efforts by the Ministerial Committee constituted by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit to find a lasting solution to the war in Gaza.
Tuggar, in his remarks at the meeting, once again reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a two-state solution and called for a ceasefire between Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas. He also condemned the disproportionate use of force against innocent civilians and the destruction of critical infrastructure in Gaza.
The meeting discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings, ceasefire efforts and protection of civilians, and the importance of establishing and building a truce.
It also discussed many topics of common interest aimed at enhancing the security and stability of the Middle East and the world.
The Nigerian minister and the committee had earlier met with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Cameron last Tuesday, where they had a robust discussion on the situation in Gaza.
The Ministerial Committee which is chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met with Catherine Colonna in Paris, in furtherance of the Committee’s engagement with global leaders aimed at restoring permanent peace in the Gaza Strip.
The committee members who participated in the meeting included: the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ayman Al-Safadi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, Riad Malki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
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