LUXEMBOURG /PNN / 

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Mohammad Mustafa held a series of meetings on Monday with several European Union foreign ministers on the sidelines of the High-Level EU-Palestinian Political Dialogue held in Luxembourg.

During the meetings, Mustafa emphasized the critical need for serious international pressure to halt the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, including through a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the escalating attacks by the Israeli army and colonists in the West Bank, including Jerusalem—particularly in the northern refugee camps, which have been facing forced displacement and destruction.

The Prime Minister underscored the urgent necessity of exerting pressure on Israel to open the crossings into the Gaza Strip and facilitate the unrestricted and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian and relief aid, given the critical shortages of food and medicine that pose a growing risk of exacerbating hunger and the spread of disease.

In his discussions, Mustafa also discussed mechanisms for supporting the Gaza Reconstruction Plan, which was adopted by the Arab League Summit in Cairo and endorsed by Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He emphasized the imperative to initiate the plan's implementation promptly once the aggression ceases and conveyed his gratitude for the European Union's ongoing humanitarian and relief assistance to the people of Gaza.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister and EU foreign ministers highlighted the need for coordinated international action through the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution to end the occupation and realize the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.

They also discussed ongoing preparations for the upcoming international peace conference for the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, which will be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France and is set to convene at the United Nations headquarters in New York this June.

Prime Minister Mustafa held a series of bilateral meetings with Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of Belgium, Maxime Prévot; Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean Noël Barrot; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malta, Ian Borg; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Caspar Veldkamp; and Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares.

On the Palestinian side, the Prime Minister was joined by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Wael Zakout, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Varsen Shaheen, Palestinian Ambassador to the EU, Belgium, and Luxembourg Amal Jadou Shakaa, and Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Omar Awadallah.