Islamic world must stand firmly against Israeli atrocities in Palestine: Turkish vice president

COMCEC concludes 42nd ministerial session in Istanbul with focus on trade finance, preferential trade and support for Palestine and Syria The Islamic world must take a resolute stance against Israeli atrocities and support Palestine through concrete actions, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on Tuesday. Yilmaz made the remarks while chairing the closing session of the 42nd Ministerial Meeting of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) at the Istanbul Congress Center.

"Despite the declaration of a ceasefire, the Netanyahu administration's continuation of massacres on flimsy pretexts at every opportunity, the failure to transition to the next phase of the ceasefire, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid increase the suffering of our Palestinian brothers day by day," Yilmaz said. "As the Islamic world, we must stand most strongly against this oppression and support Palestine, especially Gaza, with all our means through concrete steps," he added.

Yilmaz highlighted that the shared determination demonstrated during the meetings confirmed the will to overcome geopolitical tensions and conflicts across the Islamic world through diplomacy. He pointed to COMCEC's dedicated Al-Quds Program as a tangible reflection of solidarity, noting that 10 new projects were launched this year in addition to 28 previously completed projects to support Palestinians. Yilmaz also welcomed progress under the COMCEC Syria Program, which was implemented this year to strengthen human and institutional capacity while revitalizing economic activity through five active projects.

Addressing economic cooperation, Yilmaz reiterated the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's target to increase intra-bloc trade to 25%. He underscored the importance of expanding the scope and membership of the Trade Preferential System among OIC member states, adding that supporting the mechanism with services, investments, digital trade and trade facilitation will accelerate cooperation. Yilmaz noted that this year's ministerial exchange session focused on developing effective trade finance instruments to boost exports, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.

He expressed confidence that discussions on export credits, guarantee and insurance mechanisms, supply chain finance, Islamic finance instruments and digital solutions will lay the groundwork for new partnerships. To ensure a predictable environment for businesses, Yilmaz called for strengthening the institutional infrastructure of the OIC Arbitration Center to resolve commercial and investment disputes swiftly and fairly. He also urged the swift operationalization of the Islamic Forum for Halal Accreditation Bodies based on the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries standards to facilitate mutual recognition of halal certificates and dismantle trade barriers.

Under COMCEC's Project Financing mechanism, Yilmaz reported that 31 projects are underway this year across education, technical cooperation, digital capacity and institutional development, bringing total supported projects to 209 since 2013 with participation from all member states. On the sidelines of the summit, 24 countries and 12 international organizations conducted 62 bilateral meetings, according to the vice president. Yilmaz announced that next year's ministerial exchange session will focus on utilizing Islamic finance instruments to ensure food security, describing the theme as vital for members' development priorities.