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29 March 2024

OIC condemns attack on Saudi embassy

Published
By Wam

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the arson attacks on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad on 2nd January, which led to Riyadh quickly severing diplomatic ties with Tehran.

It called on all OIC member states and the international community to take serious and effective steps to prevent the occurrence and recurrence of such aggressions on diplomatic and consular missions in Iran in the future.

This came in the final communique of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers' extraordinary meeting, held today in Jeddah.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, led the UAE delegation to the meeting.

The delegation of Iran declared its rejection of the communique, stating that it "dissociates itself from it', while the delegation of Lebanon stated that "Lebanon distances itself from the communique."

Algeria submitted an explanatory remark on paragraph 5 of the communique to the effect that "in compliance with the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states, the legitimate and legal measures taken by Saudi Arabia referred to in paragraph 5 fall under the realm of sovereign decisions."

The Algerian delegation said such a multi-lateral meeting was not required to take a position.

The OIC's communique also condemned Iran's "inflammatory" statements on Saudi Arabia's execution of terrorist convicts as a "blatant interference" in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The OIC further denounced Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of the states of the region and other OIC member states (including Bahrain, Yemen and Syria and Somalia) and its continued support for terrorism.

"The aggressions against the missions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Tehran and Mashhad (...) constitute a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963, and international law which guarantees the inviolability of diplomatic missions and imposes the immunity of and respect for diplomatic missions accredited to any State in a clear and binding manner, the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers' communique said.

The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting was chaired by Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait, Chairman of the current session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers. It was held at the request of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to consider the storming of the two Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran.

The OIC's condemnation of the attacks is "in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963, both of which emphasise the inviolability of the premises and members of diplomatic missions, and the obligation of the host country to provide necessary protection against any aggression," the communique said.

It is also based on the Charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Charter of the United Nations on the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and the non-interference in their internal affairs."

The OIC communique referred to the statement issued by the UN Security Council on 4th January to condemn the assault on the premises of the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran.

"The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers rejects and condemns Iran’s inflammatory statements on the execution of judicial decisions against the perpetrators of terrorist crimes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, considering those statements a blatant interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a contravention of the United Nations Charter, the OIC Charter and of all international covenants which call for non-interference in the internal affairs of Member States, particularly those affairs that are within internal legislations," the communique said.

The OIC expressed full support for, and backing of the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all member states to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of its source and objectives. It also said it supports the legislative and legal measures taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to counter aggressions against its diplomatic and consular missions in Iran.

The OIC communique affirmed the statements made by member and non-member states, the UN Security Council, the League of Arab States, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf and other regional and international organisations, which firmly condemned and deplored the aggressions on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad.

The communique also called for denouncing the sectarian and denominational agenda as it carries destructive impacts and serious repercussions for member states’ security and stability and for international peace and security.

It underscored the importance of reinforcing relations of good neighborliness among the member states for the good interest of peoples, consistent with the OIC Charter.

It reiterated the OIC's support for all political efforts to achieve permanent settlement to conflicts among member states based on the charters of the OIC Charter, UN Charter and international law.

The OIC requested the its secretary-general to inform the UN Secretary General and regional and international organisations of today's communique and to submit a report thereon to the next session of the Council of Foreign Ministers.