Bangladesh and Pakistan have voiced deep concern over the ongoing Israeli military campaign and the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reaffirming their steadfast solidarity with the Palestinian people and their demand for an independent state.
The statement came during a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the High-Level International Conference on the Two-State Solution, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 28–29 July.
The two leaders expressed hope for meaningful and tangible outcomes from the global conference, which was co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia and attended by foreign ministers and senior representatives from nearly 40 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, and South Africa. Both Israel and the United States did not attend the event.
The conference aimed to revive international efforts in support of the two-state solution as the foundation for peace in the Middle East, at a time when civilian deaths and displacement in Gaza have drawn widespread condemnation.
According to the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi and Pakistani delegations also reviewed bilateral ties and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening political, economic and cultural cooperation. The two sides discussed initiatives to enhance regional connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, and agreed to undertake high-level visits in the near future.
The conference, convened against the backdrop of ongoing war in Gaza, sought to build global momentum for renewed diplomatic engagement in support of Palestinian statehood based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.