His Excellency Ahmed Sareer, Ambassador of the Republic of the Maldives to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, visited the headquarters of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) in Riyadh today.

During the visit, Ambassador Sareer met with Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Moghedi, Secretary General of IMCTC, and was briefed on the Coalition’s efforts and initiatives aimed at combating terrorism and extremism across the globe. At the meeting, discussions were held on enhancing Maldives collaboration in the Coalition’s activities and on strengthening capacity for Maldives in the relevant fields through the country’s participation at the Coalition’s programmes. 
He also had a brief meeting with the members of the Maldivian contingent at IMCTC. 

Ambassador Sareer was accompanied by Mr. Ahmed Fazeel, Head of Chancery (Counsellor), and Mr. Moosa Nizar, Minister-Counsellor, at the Embassy of the Maldives in Saudi Arabia.

The Permanent Representative of Maldives to Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Sareer, participated at the Extraordinary Open-ended Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the level of Permanent Representatives held today in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The meeting convened by the OIC, at the request of the State of Palestine, discussed the recent decision of Israel to strip the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and the Municipality of Hebron its administrative authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque and transfer it to the Jewish Religious Council.

In his remarks, Ambassador Sareer strongly condemned the Israeli occupation’s plan to transfer the authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque from the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs and the Hebron Municipality to the Jewish Religious Council. He further stated that any attempt to alter the historical and legal status quo of the Ibrahimi Mosque and other holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territories is a clear violation of the international law. He also stated that it further escalates the growing tensions in the region, threating the prospects for peace. Ambassador Sareer stressed on the collective responsibility of the OIC Member States and the international community to preserve and protect the Islamic and cultural heritage in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Ambassador Sareer also reiterated the Maldives’ unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, and advancing recognition of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its Capital.

The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation comprising of 57 Member States, is a strong advocate for the rights of the people of Palestine and their aspiration for statehood. The Maldives has been an active member of the OIC since becoming a member in 1976. 

The Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Sareer, participated at the 2025 Conference on the Question of Jerusalem held today, in Dakar, Senegal. The Conference, jointly organized by the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) and the OIC was held under the theme “Palestinian Oppression and Displacement in Jerusalem in the Shadow of the War: A Microcosm of the Situation Throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

In his remarks at the Conference, he expressed concern over the persisting hostilities and human suffering in East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza. He described the unlawful Israeli occupation as one that breeds systematic and widespread displacement, dispossession and dehumanisation. Stressing the need to put an end to violence and occupation, he stated that an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis are most urgent. Ambassador Sareer also called on the international community to act decisively in support of lasting peace. 

The CEIRPP was established in 1975 by the UN General Assembly, by its resolution 3376, to recommend a programme of implementation to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights to self-determination without external interference, national independence and sovereignty, and to return to their homes and property from which they had been displaced. The Committee’s recommendations were endorsed by the General Assembly, to which the Committee reports annually. The Maldives has been an active member of the OIC since 1976.