Middle East & North Africa
Nineteen foreign ministries condemn Colombia’s Jerusalem embassy in a joint statement published by Türkiye
A joint statement from 19 foreign ministries and delegations, published by Türkiye, calls on Colombia to reverse its decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia and 13 other foreign ministries and delegations issued a joint statement on 16 October strongly condemning Colombia’s opening of an embassy in Jerusalem. The text was published by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
The signatories are Türkiye, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
According to the statement, the step contravenes relevant UN Security Council resolutions and undermines efforts towards a two-State solution. The ministers say any measure meant to change the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem, or to recognise it as Israel’s capital, is “null and void”. They cite Security Council Resolutions 476 and 478 of 1980, which call on states to withdraw diplomatic missions from the city.
The ministers call on the Colombian government to reconsider and reverse the decision, to uphold its obligations under international law and to avoid measures that prejudice the rights of the Palestinian people, including an independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement follows earlier reactions. Geopolitiki reported on 14 October that Saudi Arabia and Jordan had condemned the move: Colombia opens an embassy in Jerusalem, condemned by Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The Turkish Foreign Ministry had also issued its own national statement on the Colombian decision on 15 October, in a release it numbered 197.
The joint text is a position paper rather than a legal action, and the Turkish release does not say whether the signatories plan further steps. The full statement is available on the Turkish Foreign Ministry website.
